Princess Kate welcomed England's triumphant women's rugby squad to Windsor Castle for a special celebration of their World Cup success last September.
In her capacity as Patron of the Rugby Football Union, the Princess of Wales hosted the Red Roses at the royal residence to mark their historic achievement.
The reception honoured England's commanding performance at Twickenham, where they claimed their third World Cup title with a comprehensive 33-0 shutout against Canada.
A record-breaking attendance of 81,885 spectators witnessed the victory, which also saw John Mitchell's side stretch their remarkable unbeaten run to 33 consecutive matches.
Princess Kate welcomed England's triumphant women's rugby squad to Windsor Castle for a special celebration of their World Cup success last September.
|Flickr
In her capacity as Patron of the Rugby Football Union, the Princess of Wales hosted the Red Roses at the royal residence to mark their historic achievement.
|Flickr
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The squad members and coaching staff were treated to a guided tour of the historic castle before meeting the royal.
During the gathering, the players had the opportunity to present Kate with the Rugby World Cup trophy itself.
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.
During the gathering, the players had the opportunity to present Kate with the Rugby World Cup trophy itself.
|Flickr
Their defeat to the Black Ferns three years prior had been England's last loss before embarking on their record-breaking winning sequence.
England entered the final as tournament favourites and delivered a performance built on forward dominance and relentless defensive pressure.
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.
The celebration concluded with an official group photograph featuring the princess alongside the entire England contingent.
|GETTY
Canada had arrived at the final having convincingly beaten New Zealand in the semi-finals, with many observers suggesting they had produced the tournament's finest rugby.
The Canadians were also nearing completion of their million-dollar 'Mission: Win Rugby World Cup' fundraising campaign, designed to help them compete with better-resourced nations.
The triumph capped an outstanding year for English women's sport, following the Lionesses' successful defence of their European Championship title in July.