The Duke of Sussex, patron of the Rugby Football Union, will fly to Japan to support England in the World Cup final against South Africa, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The highly anticipated match came close to pitching the Duke against his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, who is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The pair had faced the prospect of sitting together to cheer on their rival teams before the glare of the world’s cameras just days after the Duke of Sussex acknowledged a “rift” with his brother for the first time, revealing they are “certainly on different” paths.

But with Wales knocked out of the competition by South Africa, the Duke will be flying solo as he supports Eddie Jones and his men this weekend.

As they booked their place in the final on Saturday after a resounding victory against New Zealand, he issued a hearty congratulations to “our boys” on Instagram.