Princess Anne Finally Gives a Hug to Rugby Player After Initially Rejecting the Gesture
The Princess Royal dodged a hug from Scottish Rugby player Sione Tuipulotu in February, resulting in a playful moment between the pair weeks later
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Princess Anne and Scottish rugby captain Sione Tuipulotu are embracing their viral moment.
The Princess Royal, 75, and the rugby star shared a long-awaited hug on Saturday, March 14, following Scotland’s Six Nations match against Ireland. It came after Anne previously turned his hug attempt into a handshake, followed by the pair making fun of the moment later.
Scottish Rugby shared a video on X featuring the build-up to the hug, writing, “Sione finally gets his hug 🤗”.
“Thank you so much for the hug,” Tuipulotu can be heard saying in the video, as he and Princess Anne share a warm hug in the visiting team’s locker room at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. “Away from the crowd!” he jokes, patting Anne’s shoulder.
Princess Anne and Tuipulotu made headlines after sharing an awkward moment in February, when she turned an excited Tuipulotu’s offer for a hug after the team’s win against England into a handshake.
Tuipulotu jokingly pretended to lean in for another hug while celebrating Scotland’s victory against France in the Six Nations Championship on Saturday, March 7, as the royal laughed and playfully held her hands up, opting once again for a handshake.
Tuipulotu addressed the duo’s previous viral moment in an interview with ITV Sport on Thursday, March 12. “A lot of people are saying that I’m in trouble for that,” the rugby star said, “but I — I’m vibing with Princess Anne, and I don’t feel like she thinks I’m in trouble.”
“I feel like we do have chemistry there, so it was nice having a little joke with her after the game,” he said, adding, “I think she’s an icon.”
“Obviously, growing up in Australia, I don’t know much about the royal family, if I’m being blatantly honest, but I just think she looks cool up in the stands with her shades on,” Tuipulotu said about Anne, who has been the patron of the Scottish Rugby Union since 1986.
The royal’s son-in-law, former English rugby union player Mike Tindall, also joined in on the fun, joking about Anne and Tuipulotu’s non-hug on a recent episode of his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.
While members of the British royal family can be greeted with a curtsy or bow, less formal gestures, such as handshakes, are also acceptable. However, initiating physical contact is generally discouraged.
Television personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a former co-host of The View, recently recalled a similarly awkward encounter when she tried to hug the late Queen Elizabeth. “I had no idea what to do when I got there,” Hasselbeck said on a recent episode of The Weekend View, recalling a trip to the White House for a state dinner with the Queen during former President George W. Bush’s administration.
“Like, I didn’t know [you couldn’t touch her],” she said. “I went in for a hug. It didn’t go well.”
