Now that the 2024 Olympics have come to an end, Prince William and Princess Kate are celebrating the athletes who represented the United Kingdom in Paris and returned home with some well-deserved medals.
In a new video message shared today on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Instagram, Kate and William make a surprise appearance in casual clothes to congratulate the Olympians of Team Great Britain.
“From all of us watching at home,” Kate says, “congratulations to Team GB.”
In the clip, the princess wears a white long-sleeved top with horizontal navy stripes, plus a dainty gold necklace. She has her hair down and wears natural makeup—plus her welcoming smile.
William is seen standing next to Kate, wearing a light blue Team Great Britain polo shirt. In a surprising move, he shows off his scruff, making the couple’s appearance seem even more casual and spontaneous.
“Well done on all you have achieved,” he says in the video, addressing the athletes. “You've been an inspiration to us all.”
“Well done @teamgb, what an incredible journey! Every athlete showed immense dedication, heart and passion. You made us all so proud! Here’s to celebrating every triumph at @paris2024 and looking forward to more from @paralympicsgb_official later in the summer 🇬🇧🥇,” Kate and William captioned their post.
In total, Team GB won 65 medals: 14 gold, 22 silver, and 29 bronze. For the Olympics closing ceremony held on August 11, the athletes were outfitted by British label Ben Sherman.
Other notable personalities in the video include David Beckham and Snoop Dogg—the unofficial face of this year’s Games.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla did not appear in the clip, but they did offer their congratulations to the British athletes in a statement shared by Buckingham Palace. “My wife joins me in sending our warmest congratulations to the competitors and their support teams from Team GB and across the whole Commonwealth, for their many outstanding successes at the Olympic Games in Paris,” the monarch said. “Your achievements, across so many disciplines, were forged from that invaluable combination of raw talent, true grit, and hard toil over many years, burnished these past weeks by sportsmanship and team spirit in the finest tradition of the Games.
“To those who missed out on the greatest prizes, you have most certainly not fallen short in the pride that you, too, have generated for your nations,” he continued. “As we thank France for hosting such a wonderful tournament and look to the Paralympics ahead, I can only say that you have all been an inspiration.”
Kate’s rare appearance in the Olympic message comes as she continues her preventative treatment for cancer. The princess revealed her diagnosis back in March via an emotional video statement in which she wore a striped top very similar to the one she wore in this new clip, and which was shared on Kensington Palace’s social media accounts.
Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets.
