The Prince and Princess of Wales praised the legacy of Rob Burrow and met former teammates, young players and fundraiser Sir Kevin Sinfield in Leeds.
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Leeds Rhinos, paying tribute to Rob Burrow’s influence and meeting former teammates, young players and Sir Kevin Sinfield, who is continuing a seven-ultramarathon fundraising challenge in Burrow’s memory.
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Leeds Rhinos, where they praised the generation of players who looked up to Rob Burrow as fundraising efforts in his memory continued.
William and Kate visited the club where Burrow spent his entire playing career. They met former teammates Danny McGuire and Jamie Jones-Buchanan, who won and lost alongside him on the rugby league pitch.
After hearing about the special bond in the Leeds Rhinos dressing room, William said: “All the right ingredients came together, you all brought something that made it stronger.”
Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease barely two years after ending his playing career. He then devoted himself to raising awareness of the condition and helping to raise funds for research into a cure.
His campaign won widespread support. His former teammate Sir Kevin Sinfield was knighted in the summer for services to rugby league and the MND community, after being inspired by Burrow and raising more than £10 million for MND charities.
Since Burrow’s death in 2024, Sinfield has completed a series of demanding fundraising challenges. He is currently midway through his final effort, which involves completing seven ultramarathons in seven days.
As William and Kate spoke with former Leeds Rhinos players in the stands, the prince referred to Burrow’s height. Burrow stood 5ft 5ins tall.
McGuire, who leads the Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s Rugby League Development Plan, said: “Rob was so small but so brave…we followed him, he inspired us.”
Jones-Buchanan, now the Leeds Rhinos chief executive officer, told the royal couple: “What he lacked in size he made up for in his voice.” He also described Burrow as a comic presence in the dressing room.
William, who presented CBEs to Burrow and Sinfield in 2024 for services to MND awareness, joked about Sinfield’s latest challenge. “If he can walk by the end of it, it will be amazing,” he said.
The couple later made a surprise visit to the fundraiser in Leeds as Sinfield reached the end of his third marathon. They told him that his actions were “so inspiring”.
The visit also highlighted the next generation of players. On the pitch, a group of under-19 female players were being drilled in ball-handling skills, while children from Lawns Park Primary School in Leeds took part in rugby-based activities.
William and Kate also spoke to Keara Bennett, one of five Leeds Rhinos players selected for the England squad for the women’s World Cup, which begins next month. Kate said: “Nice to see so many girls playing rugby.”
The visit brought together tributes to Burrow’s playing career, the fundraising campaign that followed his diagnosis and the young players continuing the sport’s development at Leeds Rhinos.
