Princess Kate revealed her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, all play rugby at home, admitting she would not want to be tackled by her oldest child.
The Princess of Wales hailed the "amazing achievement" of England's triumphant women's rugby squad at Windsor Castle for a special celebration of their World Cup success last September.
Kate, who is patron of the Rugby Football Union, told senior officials from the organisation: "It's really nice to mark the beginning of the year with a celebration."
The future queen told the group: "You've really inspired all the new generation [that] perhaps might not even have thought rugby was for them."
Kate shared that all of her children play rugby | PATRENDING
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She added: "I think it really showed how accessible rugby is to so many types of girls, in different parts of the country."
The Red Roses beat Canada 33-13 in the final in front of a record 81,885 spectators at a sold-out Twickenham, a third World Cup victory for England following wins in 2014 and 1994.
Asked if her daughter played the sport, Kate replied: "Charlotte is playing rugby, but at home with the family, so she isn't yet at school, and I was asking how many schools are actually incorporating [rugby].
"Rugby is so accessible. Louis is playing touch rugby, and it's such a great game."
The princess spoke about how accessible rugby is
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The princess continued: "Actually, they shouldn't necessarily need to push boys and girls in particular sports too early.
"Obviously, as they get physically stronger - George now, if we play at home, I do not want to get tackled by George - but, up to a certain age, I think it's great."
The Princess of Wales was keen to note that schools should not "pigeonhole boys and girls into particular sports too early", as she voiced her support for the accessibility of the sport.
The squad members and coaching staff of the Red Roses were treated to a guided tour of Windsor Castle before meeting the royal, during which the players had the opportunity to present Kate with the Rugby World Cup trophy.
The Princess of Wales admitted she would not want to be tackled by Prince George
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The celebration concluded with an official group photograph featuring the princess alongside the entire England contingent.
The Windsor reception represented a fitting tribute to a team that overcame the disappointment of losing their previous two finals to New Zealand's Black Ferns.
Their defeat to the Black Ferns three years prior had been England's last loss before embarking on their record-breaking winning sequence of 33 matches.
England entered the final as tournament favourites and delivered a performance built on forward dominance and relentless defensive pressure.
The celebration concluded with an official group photograph
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The Red Roses fell behind early but responded spectacularly to seize control of the contest.
The victory marked England's first World Cup triumph since 2014, when they also defeated Canada in the final to lift the trophy.
Canada reached the final after convincingly defeating New Zealand in the semi-finals, with many observers praising their performance as perhaps the best rugby of the tournament.
The Canadians were also close to finishing their million-dollar "Mission: Win Rugby World Cup" fundraising campaign, aimed at enabling them to compete against better-funded nations.
The victory marked a remarkable year for women's sports in England, especially after the Lionesses' successful defence of their European Championship title in July.
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