Duchess of Edinburgh travels to France to support Team GB at the Olympics
Sophie is patron of GB Hockey
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Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, has been pictured in Paris greeting the Team GB men's and women's hockey teams ahead of the latter's contest for a spot in the Olympics semi-finals.
The duchess had arrived in the French capital on Saturday where she was met by the British ambassador to France and Monaco, Dame Menna Rawlings.
But today, Sophie has been seen hob-nobbing with Britain's hockey stars in her role as patron of GB Hockey, which runs the country's Olympic teams.
The Royal Family's social media profile talked up her presence in Paris, and detailed how she joined spectators at the men's quarter-final against India on Sunday - as well as her arrival at the Team GB "performance hub".
Sophie has been seen hob-nobbing with Britain's hockey stars in her role as patron of GB Hockey
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The Duchess of Edinburgh met the men's team on Sunday
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Though the men's side fell 4-2 on penalties after a tense 1-1 draw against Tokyo's semi-finalists India, the women's team will be hoping to go - at least - a stage further today.
The Duchess of Edinburgh had met the GB women's team ahead of their crunch clash against the Netherlands this afternoon - and the team will doubtless be hoping their patron Sophie brings them a dash of royal luck.
The Dutch won every game in the group stage, while Team GB lost three and won two - and the women will need to have fortune on their side if they're to outdo their last Olympic match-up against the Netherlands, which they lost 5-1.
When Sophie arrived in Paris, she paired a teal Max Mara shirt dress with white Toms espadrilles, the latter of which she donned again on her second day in the French capital - swapping out the teal offering for a white linen Gabriela Hearst belted dress.
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The Duchess of Edinburgh wasn't the only sporting royal in attendance at the Games, however.
Princess Anne - a former Olympian herself - was also pictured at the Olympic Village earlier this week in her role as President of the British Olympic Association.
The Princess Royal had touched down in the French capital just over two weeks ago for the 142nd International Olympic Committee (IOC) session, where the group voted for the French Alps and Salt Lake City to host the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games, respectively.
Anne had represented Great Britain on the Queen's horse, Goodwill, in the equestrian three-day event at the Montreal Games in 1976.
The women's team will doubtless be hoping their patron Sophie brings them a dash of royal luck
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Sophie had witnessed the men's hockey team's penalty heartbreak against India
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While Princess Anne missed out on an Olympic medal in Montreal, she was able to present silver to her daughter Zara at London 2012.
Zara Tindall, then Phillips, competed in the 2012 Games on her horse, High Kingdom, coming second in the Team Eventing.
Though heartbreakingly, Zara will not be making an appearance at this summer's event - set to kick off in just three days' time - having not been selected for Rio 2016 and not entering at Tokyo 2020.
She had told Vogue in 2022 that she had returned to training in an attempt to make a stunning return to Team GB, all the while trying to balance her equestrian career with her role as a mother-of-three.
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