Prince William faces major blow days after King Charles coronation

Prince William, who is the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), dealt a double blow as two Wales rugby players announced their retirement before the world cup.

Wales were hit by a dramatic double blow on Friday as Alun Wyn Jones, the world´s most-capped international, and fellow senior forward Justin Tipuric both announced their retirement from Test duty just four months before the side´s Rugby World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux.

They had both been included in Wales coach Warren Gatland´s 54-man World Cup preliminary training squad, which is due to assemble next week.

Jones, a 37-year-old lock, made 170 international appearances, including 158 for Wales and 12 for the British and Irish Lions in a 17-year Test career.

"Having been selected in this year´s preliminary Rugby World Cup squad, and after ongoing dialogue with the coaching staff and the WRU (Welsh Rugby Union), I have decided to step away from the international game," said Jones in a statement on his Instagram page.

"So, after 17 years, I look back on special memories with Welsh greats and future Welsh greats."

Meanwhile, Prince William took to Twitter and reacted to their retirement, saying “Two giants of the game.”

“Rugby won’t be the same without you - not just in Wales, but the world over. Congratulations on your incredible careers! Cymru am byth. W.”