Did the queen throw shade at rugby's Vunipola brothers?

Publish Date
Friday, 16 February 2018, 2:48PM
Photo/GettyImages

Photo/GettyImages

It's not every day you get to meet the queen and when you do, the last thing you'd expect her to do is to throw shade at you right? Well, apparently not!

The Queen has joked with two of England's rugby stars about the fitness levels of the UK's players as she celebrated the achievements of the Commonwealth.

Brothers Billy and Mako Vunipola, who have Tongan heritage but were brought up in the UK, laughed when they said the Queen was questioning the worlds view that rugby players were tougher and fitter these days. Ouch!

Mako, who was part of the England team that beat Wales at the weekend in a Six Nations match, said: "She was saying that apparently rugby is getting a lot tougher now, everyone's fitter but she can't see it."

His brother quipped: "I think she was calling us fat - which is fair enough."

Billy, who has missed out on Six Nations rugby due to a broken forearm, said: "It's a massive honour that we are here and a privilege, something we will probably brag to our mum about."

The rugby-playing brothers towered over the Queen who spent almost two hours chatting to those invited to the palace reception.

Among the guests was celebrity chef Monica Galetti from New Zealand, Sheku Kanneh-Mason the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year, and Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland.

Well, boys, less chatting and more training needed according to her Highness.

This was orginally published on nzherald.co.nz and published here with permission 

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