Princess Kate drove herself to a royal engagement at Windsor Castle on Wednesday as she hosted England’s World Cup-winning women’s rugby team in her first solo public duty of 2026.
Footage shared on social media showed the Princess of Wales arriving behind the wheel of a dark car and stepping out in the rain holding an umbrella, accompanied by a man.
The clip prompted fan reaction online, with one post on X saying: "The Princess of Wales drove herself to Windsor Castle this afternoon to host a reception for the England Women’s rugby team - in an Alexander McQueen suit and stilettos. Iconic".
One supporter replied: "So amazing she doesn’t require people to drive her and can easily do it herself."
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Another wrote: "And she is holding the umbrella," while a third added: "Pure class."
Finally, a fourth said: "Driving in stilettos - respect right there!"
The engagement on January 15 was held to mark the Red Roses’ Rugby World Cup victory, with the team welcomed to Windsor Castle alongside the tournament trophy.
The princess is patron of the Rugby Football Union and followed the squad’s campaign during the tournament.
Princess Kate hailed as 'iconic' after driving herself to Windsor Castle
|GETTY
She even watched from the stands when England beat Australia in Brighton during the pool stages.
England sealed the title with a 33-13 win over Canada in the final at Twickenham Stadium in front of a record crowd of 81,885.
This continued a run of success that included previous World Cup victories in 2014 and 1994.
Unfortunately, Thursday's visit came with a travel setback for the players.
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The Princess of Wales drove herself to Windsor Castle this afternoon to host a reception for the England Women’s rugby team - in an Alexander McQueen suit and stilettos. Iconic 💅
— Belle (@RoyallyBelle_) January 15, 2026
pic.twitter.com/X1rE6H7YBD
The squad sadly missed out on a private tour of Windsor Castle after their coach broke down.
However, they still managed to attend the reception with the future Queen.
For the occasion, Princess Kate wore a bold red trouser suit by Alexander McQueen, a colour widely seen as a nod to the team’s Red Roses nickname.
She chose the designer’s Leaf Crepe Drop Hem Jacket paired with matching wide-leg trousers.
The celebration concluded with an official group photograph | PAKate completed the look with pointed-toe stilettos by Gianvito Rossi in red velvet.
During the reception, the players posed for photographs with the princess and the trophy.
In addition, team captain Zoe Aldcroft presented her with a shirt signed by members of the squad.