Rugby-Right royal mix-up - Princess Anne mistakes England prop Heyes for TV star Marler


Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - Scotland v England - Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - February 14, 2026 Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu receives the Calcutta Cup trophy from Britain's Princess Anne as he celebrates with teammates after victory over England REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Feb 18 (Reuters) - ⁠England's Joe Heyes revealed a ⁠case of mistaken identity ‌when Princess Anne confused him with retired teammate Joe Marler during pre-match introductions ​ahead of their ⁠Six Nations match ⁠against Scotland.

The Princess Royal, the late ⁠Queen ‌Elizabeth's only daughter and patron of the ⁠Scottish Rugby Union, greeted both teams ​before ‌Scotland's victory at Murrayfield last ⁠weekend, ​but mistook 26-year-old tighthead prop Heyes for retired loosehead Marler, ⁠who has carved out ​an entertainment career since retiringin 2024.

"She thought I was Joe Marler ⁠which was... quite upsetting," Heyes said.

Marler, 35, was a contestant on "The Celebrity Traitors", a reality ​television series.

Princess ⁠Anne's daughter Zara is married to ​England World Cup ‌winner Mike Tindall.

(Reporting ​by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)

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