Royal fans praise Princess Anne for her ‘brilliance’ as she FINALLY hugs Scottish rugby captain
Royal fans praise Princess Anne For the ‘genius’ of finally granting the Scots Rugby captain the long-awaited embrace that eluded his previous attempts.
The Princess Royal, who is patron of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), was seen warmly embracing Sione Tuipulotu after the final in Scotland. Six Nations Our match against Ireland on March 14th.
In response to the sweet clip, royal fans praised Anne of X’s masses for being ‘so human and intelligent’, with one user adding: ‘She looks so humble royal.’
‘She would love this cuddle,’ one commenter said, adding: ‘Mummy looks really happy.’
Another added: “Honestly who doesn’t love Princess Anne”, while one viewer fondly described the Princess Royal as “a great ambassador for Scottish Rugby”.
The heartwarming moment shared by the unlikely pair came after the respected 29-year-old athlete made a failed attempt to hug Anne following the country’s victory over England last month.
When Anne, 75, went to present the award to Mr Tuipulotu, he briefly tried to hug her. But the princess stepped back and put a hand on the rugby player’s shoulder before striking up a cheerful conversation with him.
A few weeks later, Anne and the rugby player shared a funny moment as the princess presented her with the Auld Alliance Cup after their win against France.
In a playful reference to their previous near-embrace moment, they both jokingly mirrored each other with open arms, delighting royal fans who praised Anne’s “fun” and “wonderful” nature.
But in Scotland’s final match of the tournament, Anne momentarily put royal protocol aside; Scottish Rugby shared “beautiful” footage of the pair warmly embracing after their match against Ireland.
The Princess Royal, who is patron of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), was finally caught warmly embracing Sione Tuipulotu following Scotland’s final Six Nations match against Ireland on March 14.
Following Mr Tuipulotu’s failed hug attempt, the pair playfully opened their arms to mirror each other earlier this month, delighting royal fans who praised Anne’s “fun” and “wonderful” nature.
In the clip, titled ‘Sione finally hugs’, the pair briefly embrace before exchanging a few words and seemingly bursting into laughter, ending a hugely successful tournament for Scotland.
One royal fan said: ‘Great!’ raved, while another added: ‘Oh, I thought that was cute.’
Anne’s earlier refusal to hug Mr Tuipulotu was believed to be in line with royal protocol, which traditionally advises members of the Firm not to hug members of the public during public engagements.
Yet Anne has long had a reputation as the most down-to-earth and relatable member of the Royal Family; She often delights royal fans with her caring nature and ability to connect with the public.
Having served as boss of the SRU for almost three decades, she is also a keen fan of the sport and was seated in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium with husband Sir Tim Laurence to show her support for the Scottish players.
However, unfortunately for Anne and Sir Tim, Scotland could not come out on top in this match and Ireland won with the final score of 43-21.
The Princess Royal’s spirits appeared to be high throughout the game, though, and Anne was captured excitedly watching the country’s final match of the Six Nations tournament.
Making sure she was bundled up warm for the sporting event, Anne wore a navy blue woolen double-breasted coat and a plaid scarf.
In response to the sweet clip, royal fans turned to X in droves to praise Anne for being “so human and intelligent.” Anne was warmly bundled up in a navy blue woolen, double-breasted coat and tartan scarf at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium (pictured)
Anne, previously described by the SRU as a ‘long-term and committed supporter of Scottish rugby’, frequently traveled abroad to support the Scottish national team during the Six Nations tournament and rarely missed a match.
Behind the scenes Anne has also routinely promoted grassroots development and last year became patron of the Murrayfield Injured Players Foundation (MIPF), which aims to provide support to players injured in the Scottish game.
Announcing the Princess Royal’s involvement, MIPF chairman Ian Rankin described Anne as ‘a committed supporter of the Scottish rugby team’.
He added: ‘His passion for sport and commitment to the game at all levels is well documented and we are honored to have him join us as our Patron.’
Appearing on son-in-law Mike Tindall’s podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby in 2023, Anne revealed how she first became boss of the SRU by ‘accidental’.
He added: ‘They asked me to go and open the East Stand [at Murrayfield Stadium] When was it built?
‘I gave about two weeks’ notice because they were disappointed, I don’t remember by whom, and the horse was lame and I wasn’t racing on the weekend, so I went.
‘About a month later they asked me if I wanted to be the boss.’
Referring to her natural passion for sport, the Princess added: ‘Everything that rugby has to offer, I’m talking about exercise and team sports in general, but I think rugby offers a variety of talents in a team.
‘And you have to look out for each other, and that’s a different kind of responsibility within the team structure. ‘They’re not all the same, you may have different skills.’
