Princess Anne shared a hilarious moment with the Scottish rugby captain, Sione Tuipulotu, as his side defeated France in the Six Nations.
The Princess Royal, 75, avoided the previous awkward encounter with Mr Tuipulotu, who made a joke of their previous exchange while collecting the Auld Alliance Trophy.
Scotland won the game 50-40 against defending champions France, which leaves them second in what has been an incredible campaign.
As patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, Anne was given the responsibility of congratulating the winning side and handing out the trophy.
The Princess Royal shared a hilarious moment with Sione Tuipulotu | PA
Mr Tuipulotu walked over to the Princess Royal and motioned for a hug.
Anne, in her humorous way, opened her arms and smiled towards the rugby star as the pair shared a laugh in front of the crowd and cameras.
Mr Tuipulotu then shook the 75-year-old’s hand, who then patted him on the shoulder as they had a small talk before the rugby captain lifted the trophy.
Scottish Rugby posted the moment on their social media with the caption: “This close to a hug.”
The pair shared a laugh and shook hands
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Scotland is having a fantastic campaign at the Six Nations, now level on points with top dogs France, only below them on points difference.
Reflecting after the game, Mr Tuipulotu told the BBC: “Considering how this tournament started for us, we believe now the tournament is not over. We’ve got ourselves an opportunity next week
“I could not be prouder to be captain of this team. We stuck together after a tough autumn and a tough first round and have given ourselves one more job to do next week. One more week to finish the job.”
The Princess Royal has been to all of Scotland’s games in the Six Nations, receiving a standing ovation at their first match against Italy.
Sione Tuipulotu said he ‘could not be prouder to be captain of this team’
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Anne was left stunned when the stadium of fans watching the game rose to their feet to applaud her.
When the applause began, the princess appeared perplexed before smiling and speaking a few words to the person sitting next to her.
The video gained a host of fans on social media, with lots of comments praising the Princess Royal.
One user commented: “Truly a magnificent human being and fantastic role model for women around the world.”
Scotland is having a campaign to remember in the Six Nations
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Another added: “She looks so much like the Queen at times.”
Aside from rugby, Anne has received a unique honour ahead of Cheltenham Festival next week.
One of the races at the event, formally known as the Amateurs’ Gold Cup, will be renamed after the Princess Royal.
The race will cover the same three-and-a-quarter-mile track as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, featuring 22 fences and a tough uphill climb.
Cheltenham Racecourse CEO Guy Lavender confirmed the new name will be the “Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase”, set to take place on Friday, March 13.




