The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome was the next stop on their whistle-stop tour of the Games before the family shifted to the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) for judo finals.<\/p>\n
Petria Thomas, chef de mission of Australia\u2019s all-conquering team set to crash through the 150-medal barrier, was seated in front of William and Kate during the judo session.<\/p>\n
\u201cI presented Princess Charlotte with a pin that featured Borobi, our team mascot,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all indicated they were enjoying their day at the Games, which was great to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
The royals were in the stands as Australian judoka Saya Middleton, on Games debut, lost her tense -63kg final against Canadian Laurence Biron.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know till afterwards,\u201d Middleton said, when asked about William and Kate forming part of a heaving crowd at the venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I was like, \u2018oh, that\u2019s crazy\u2019.<\/p>\n
![\"Australia\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/c9fc256d073ee1d7dc12ebbb48fe3329486ad177.jpg\")
Australia\u2019s chef de mission Petria Thomas handed over a gift for the royals during a judo session. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, they\u2019re still hanging around and I\u2019ll be able to see them. But yeah, that was really cool to know that they were in the crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no such luck for Middleton.<\/p>\n
Australian cyclist Leigh Hoffman, who has won multiple medals in Glasgow, gave an honest reply of \u201cnot really\u201d when asked if riding in front of royals carried any extra meaning.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy girlfriend and her family, her mum is from Liverpool and loves her royal family a bit. It might mean something to her,\u201d Hoffman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re a family of steelworkers, so not really.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier on the penultimate day of the Games, it was a strange scene at the Hydro as the Diamonds\u2019 semi started.<\/p>\n
As word spread of the royals\u2019 visit, a throng of photographers assembled with lenses trained on the stands rather than the on-court action.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty special to have them in the crowd,\u201d Diamonds star Kate Moloney said after the Diamonds\u2019 loss.<\/p>\n
Scotland\u2019s netball team grabbed a photo with the royals before they left the Hydro then walked outside to meet Games volunteers and mascot Finnie plus gold medallists Mark Swan and Reuben Ward.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in a position where I\u2019m being chosen to meet the Prince of Wales, it\u2019s just a strange but incredible experience,\u201d Scottish gymnast Ward said.<\/p>\n
Prince William\u2019s chief passion is soccer and Birmingham-based club Aston Villa, while he and son George have previously made headlines while attending a Lord\u2019s Ashes Test and various England soccer games.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Diamonds console shattered teammate after shock defeat<\/p>\n 2 min read<\/p>\n