Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Celebrity News

    Eddie Redmayne said Prince William had a rough time playing rugby back in college

    'I always felt a bit sorry for him.'

    Megan C. Hills's avatar
    By Megan C. Hills
    Published 16 November 2018 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    eddie redmayne and prince william
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    'I always felt a bit sorry for him.'

    It seems like everybody in the upper echelons of British society seem to have crossed paths in some way, though Prince William and Eddie Redmayne’s connection was one that took us by surprise. It turns out the pair attended Eton College together as boys and were actually closer than you might expect, as the Fantastic Beasts star revealed they both were on the school’s rugby team. Although it’s a pretty cool opportunity for a mic drop on Redmayne’s part, it turns out that it wasn’t all fun and games for Prince William on the field. It turns out that he was frequently singled out by other rugby teams as a prime target.

    While starring on the talk show Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen, Redmayne was asked by a fan about his unexpected link to the royal. They asked, ‘Since you played rugby with Prince William, have you played rugby with him since?’

    Although Redmayne didn’t reveal whether he and Prince William had nipped out for a quick game recently, he did dish on their time back at school together. He said, ‘I did play rugby with Prince William. I always felt a bit sorry for him.’

    eddie redmayne and prince william

    Jabpromotions/REX/Shutterstock

    It’s hard to believe now that we’d have any reason to feel sorry for the royal, but yikes - his rugby career sounds like it was marred with bruises.

    You may like
    • Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress
    • Lauren Bell: My Life In Lauren Bell on Pace, Patience and Performing on the Biggest Stage
    • Arsenal player and Lioness Chloe Kelly Chloe Kelly: “I Never Take Playing for My Country for Granted—I Just Want to Give it My All”

    Redmayne elaborated, ‘Any school you played - all they wanted to do was tackle Prince William so that they could say, ‘I tackled Prince William.’’

    And honestly, it doesn't sound like he was joking. We went through the archives and managed to find a picture of Prince William back in 1995, with a few guys double the size of him hot on his tail.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    eddie redmayne and prince william

    Brendan Beirne/REX/Shutterstock

    As for whether Redmayne also had a tough time? Well, it sounds like it was easy going for him as he continued, ‘If you were standing next to Prince William like I was, it was actually quite easy and quite fun.’

    So there you have it folks, Newt Scamander’s the kind of guy that will happily throw people under the bus to get ahead in life. (We’re joking, obviously.)

    Since the interview went live, the Mirror kindly brought the most amazing photograph of Redmayne and Prince William to our attention. An Eddie Redmayne Twitter fan account posted a photo of the pair back at Eton goofing off with the rest of their classmates, both dressed in the goofiest waistcoat. While Prince William chose to walk on the wild side with tiger stripes, Redmayne’s Pringles waistcoat had us full on cackling at the office.

    It looks like it was some kind of inside joke between the pair, as the rest of their classmates were dressed in comparatively boring waistcoats. We need to know the story behind this picture, can anyone drop them a line and find out?

    We’re secretly hoping that Prince William and Eddie Redmayne both still have those waistcoats at the back of their closet, waiting for the day that they have an Eton reunion. Bring out the Pringles waistcoat again Redmayne, the world deserves to witness its glory.

    Megan C. Hills
    Megan C. Hills
    Social Links Navigation

    Megan is a freelance journalist who covers entertainment and all things lifestyle, with a particular passion for fashion, beauty, travel and Keanu Reeves stories. She has previously worked on staff for titles including Marie Claire UK, CNN Style and The Evening Standard and has written for titles such as Bustle UK, Wallpaper*, Forbes and Hong Kong Tatler. She splits her time between London and her hometown Hong Kong, where she currently lives with the love of her life - an elderly dog named Poppy - and her husband. 

    Read more
    Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street
    Fashion “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress
    Lauren Bell: My Life In
    Health and Fitness Lauren Bell on Pace, Patience and Performing on the Biggest Stage
     
     
    Arsenal player and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Chloe Kelly: “I Never Take Playing for My Country for Granted—I Just Want to Give it My All”
    Naomi Osaka Sport Walk On Fashion Moment
    Fashion Forget the Front Row—The Most Exciting Fashion Moments Are Happening at Tournament Walk-Ins
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity News
    Olivia Rodrigo performing on stage in a babydoll dress that sparked online debate, later prompting the singer to speak out about the sexualisation of girlhood and double standards facing young women.
    Celebrity News “We Really Normalise Pedophilia in Our Culture”: What Olivia Rodrigo's Babydoll Dress Backlash Reveals About Girlhood
    Meghan Markle in 'With Love, Meghan'
    Celebrity News Meghan Markle’s Sweet Glimpse Into Sussex Family Life Is Going Viral
     
     
    Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2
    Celebrity News Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona
    Royal News Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
     
     
    Latest in News
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    DUA LIPA WEARING A CAMISOLE TOP
    Shopping When a T-Shirt Feels Too Plain, Try the Trending Top Alexa Chung, Tracee Ellis Ross and Daisy Edgar-Jones Are Wearing
     
     
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: The Foundation Using Exosome Technology, the Treatment That Transformed My Skin Texture—Plus, the Ever-Earlier Advent Calendar Race
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Everything Kaia Gerber Wears Is a Masterclass in Minimalism—These Are the Pieces and Brands She Always Goes Back to
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.