Prince Harry was mocked by sports fans at the Rugby World Cup semifinals in France on Saturday, as England were knocked out of the tournament by South Africa.
Harry—who was formerly the patron of the England Rugby Football Union—featured on a sign held by South African fans at the Stade de France in Paris, comparing him to red-headed South African player, Steven Kitshoff.
The female fans' sign featured photographs of the prince and Kitshoff with the caption: "WE HAVE THE BETTER GINGER."
In the match, England took an early advantage, pressuring the South African team until the final minutes of the game when the Springboks ended with a single-point lead—winning the match 16 to 15.
South Africa will go on to the Rugby World Cup final, playing New Zealand in France on October 28.
The use of Harry as a tool to gibe the English team comes as the prince became a figure of mockery in the past year, since the release of his bombshell memoir, Spare, in January.
Harry's book became the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time, upon its release on January 10, and earned the royal both praise and criticism.
Apart from the bombshell revelations about life behind palace walls—notably regarding brother Prince William, stepmother Queen Camilla, and father King Charles—the inclusion of more unconventional details earned the prince a spot in the monologues of a number of late-night hosts.
Harry's disclosure that he caught frostbite on his penis at the time of the 2011 royal wedding, following a trek to the North Pole and a home remedy linked to Princess Diana, became the butt of jokes in the global press as well as social media.
In Spare, Harry also mentioned his relationship with his famous red hair, something which he said he has felt "self-conscious about" over the years.
The prince has a long association with sports and sporting communities, both in Britain and around the world.
In 2016, Queen Elizabeth II marked her 90th birthday by giving Harry the royal patronages of the England Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League. In 2021, these were returned to the crown after the prince and wife, Meghan, split from the monarchy and moved to the U.S..
In 2022, the patronages were reassigned to Kate, the Princess of Wales, who has attended meetings with the squads and attended two of the Rugby World Cup games in France this year.
Today, Harry's main sporting relationship exists through his work with the Invictus Games. The games were founded by the prince in 2014 to provide an international platform for the world's veteran communities to showcase their mental and physical rehabilitation.
Harry and Meghan attended the 2023 Invictus Games in Germany in September. The next games will be held in Canada in 2025.
Newsweek approached representatives of Prince Harry via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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