Likely unintentionally, the gift is a nod to Kate’s childhood. The Duchess of Cambridge played netball (along with many other sports like hockey, tennis and swimming) when she was younger. She was the captain of her school netball team and played Goal Defense - see photos from her childhood netball days here.
Even Charlotte's aunt Meghan Markle, who probably never played netball growing up as it’s not a well-known sport in the US, recently gave the sport a go when she attended a Coach Core Awards in September last year.
While accepting her CBE medal, Mentor, who is over six feet tall, says, "[Prince William] mentioned the height first of all, he said, 'It's wonderful to be able to look somebody in the eye.'"
“He said that netball made sense with the height that I have, and he mentioned the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and our achievements,” said Mentor, referring to England’s gold medal win last year on the Gold Coast.
“It’s fantastic that the royal family are aware of what was going on there because it was a moment in history, which was not only great for us personally but for netball in England,” added Mentor.
