Prince Harry says 'we all miss rugby' in surprise video appearance

The Duke of Sussex appeared on the video to support England Rugby's Pitch In campaign
Lucy Pavia25 June 2020

Prince Harry has made a surprise appearance in a new video shared on the England Rugby Instagram account.

The Duke of Sussex, who appeared to be filming from his veranda in Los Angeles, appeared as part of a montage about England Rugby's 'Pitch In' campaign, which has seen clubs up and down the country help support the most vulnerable in their communities during the lockdown.

In the video, the Duke said "we all miss rugby" but though coronavirus has paused the game, "it hasn't taken away our spirit."

Prince Harry in January at the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw
Getty Images

Harry, a longtime fan of the sport, is a patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League.

In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests across the world, the RFU recently pledged to educate rugby supporters around “origins or sensitivities” relating to the song ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’, which was first sung in support of player Martin Offiah, who is of Nigerian descent.

The song was composed in the Nineteenth Century by freedman Wallis Willis and is strongly associated with resistance to slavery and the Civil Rights movement.

The Sunday Times reported that Prince Harry is behind the move to phase out the song.

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