Prince Harry spent Friday evening enjoying rugby with his cousin George McCorquodale, and it was lovely to see the Duke of Sussex spending time with his late mother Princess Diana’s side of the family.

On October 9, Harry attended the Gallagher Premiership match between Leicester Tigers and Gloucester Rugby at Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium in Leicester. The Tigers secured a 38–31 victory, with Harry photographed cheering from the stands and enjoying a pint.  

Harry and George’s Relationship Goes Back Decades

Harry and George are first cousins who grew up together. Born just two months apart in 1984, the two even shared the distinctive Spencer red hair as children.

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Princess Diana with Harry, William, niece Emily and nephew George McCorquodale at the European Grand Prix, Donington Park, April 11, 1993.

Their relationship has continued into adulthood. Harry travelled to South Africa for George’s wedding to Bianca Moore in August 2016, and Harry and Meghan attended the wedding of George’s younger sister, Celia McCorquodale, in June 2018.

George also supported Harry at the Invictus Games’ tenth-anniversary service at St Paul’s Cathedral in May 2024, alongside other members of Diana’s family.  

And this is why the endless narrative that Harry has lost his entire family deserves scrutiny. His relationships with certain Windsor relatives may be endlessly dissected by the media, but the Spencers are his family too. George’s presence is another reminder that Harry has maintained those relationships.

Harry’s Spencer Family Remains Important

Following Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, there is something particularly heartwarming about seeing these family connections continue.

The Sussexes reportedly spent time with Spencer relatives at Althorp in July, suggesting that Harry’s maternal family remains part of their lives.  

And perhaps that matters even more now that Harry has children of his own. Archie and Lilibet have relatives beyond the Windsor family, including members of the Spencer family whose connections to Diana form part of their own heritage.

We cannot know how often the children see their extended family, but having opportunities to develop those relationships can only be a positive thing.

Harry’s Rugby Appearance Sparks Another Booing Controversy

Harry’s appearance also brought him back to a sport he has supported for decades. He played rugby at Eton and previously served as patron of the Rugby Football Union, a role that subsequently passed to Kate Middleton.

But what should have been a simple evening enjoying rugby with his cousin George McCorquodale quickly became another negative headline.

Several British publications, including The Sun and The Telegraph, reported that Harry was booed when he appeared on the stadium’s big screen. TNT Sports commentator Nick Mullins also remarked, “some boos there,” during the broadcast.

Collage of headlines from The Irish Sun, The Telegraph and the Daily Mail reporting that Prince Harry was booed during the Leicester Tigers vs Gloucester rugby match on October 9, 2026, alongside photographs of Harry watching the game and holding a beer.

However, there is important context missing from these headlines. The booing has also been attributed to frustration with referee Karl Dickson, rather than Prince Harry. Leicester supporters had watched Dickson send Billy Searle to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on early in the match, allowing Gloucester to race into a 14–0 lead.

The suggestion is that television cameras cut to Harry while supporters were reacting to the officiating, leading newspapers to interpret the boos as hostility towards the Duke.

Meanwhile, broadcast footage showed Harry smiling, holding a drink and enjoying the match. Rather than establish exactly whom spectators were booing, several publications presented Harry as the target. Once again, a negative interpretation of a Sussex appearance became the headline.

A Familiar Pattern in Royal Media Coverage

We have seen this before. During Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, Good Morning America reported that Harry and Meghan received a warm reception at St Paul’s Cathedral. Yet several publications chose to emphasise reports of booing, despite footage and eyewitness accounts confirming that the couple also received cheers.

Then, following the Queen’s death in September 2022, Daily Mail royal correspondent Rebecca English claimed that only William and Catherine stayed to greet mourners outside Windsor Castle. Photographs and video footage subsequently showed Harry and Meghan meeting the public, including Meghan embracing a mourner. English reportedly deleted her inaccurate post.

Collage contrasting Daily Mail royal correspondent Rebecca English’s September 2022 claim that Harry and Meghan did not greet mourners with photographs showing Meghan Sussex shaking hands with members of the public and embracing a mourner outside Windsor Castle following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

The pattern is difficult to ignore. Negative claims about Harry and Meghan become headlines, even when photographs or footage subsequently contradict them. By the time the facts emerge, the damaging narrative has already circulated. And the corrections rarely receive anything approaching the same attention.

What we can see is Harry enjoying an evening of rugby with a cousin he has known since childhood. For all the speculation about his popularity and family relationships, Harry continues to maintain connections in Britain, particularly with Diana’s Spencer relatives. And frankly, that seems far more interesting than another argument over crowd noise.

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