The wife of Wayne Rooney met with King Charles III at a reception at Windsor Castle to speak about the work of paid and unpaid carers and has a very close connection to the cause
20:42, 11 Feb 2026Updated 20:54, 11 Feb 2026
Secret heartache behind Coleen Rooney’s smile as she meets King Charles(Image: PA)
Coleen Rooney has met with the King during a reception to highlight the inspirational work of carers – and she has a very personal reason to talk with King Charles.
The wife of Wayne Rooney and I’m A Celeb star has intimate knowledge of what it is like for carers, paid and unpaid, every day, as her sister, who died in 2013 aged just 14, required a lot of care.
Rosie was adopted by Coleen’s parents when she was two years old and had a lifelong battle with a rare brain disorder called Rett Syndrome. The condition, which affects roughly one in every 10,000 infant girls, can vary in severity, but often causes. serious mental and physical disabilities, including a lack of motor function, difficulty feeding, and seizures.
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Coleen Rooney met with King Charles(Image: PA)
Coleen spoke about her love for Rosie in her documentary, Coleen: The Real Wagatha Christie Story, released 10 years after Rosie’s death. She said Rosie was “the sister that I never thought I was going to have”.
She added: “She brought that little bit extra to the house. We fell in love with her.” In January, marking 13 years since Rosie’s death, Coleen posted a touching tribute to social media.
She posted a snap of her sister in a blue top and pink hat, smiling at the camera, and wrote in the caption: “Another year since you left us, Rosie. Keep watching over us.”
Her sister, Rosie, required care(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Coleen’s meeting with King Charles, in which she wore a classy cream pinstriped suit, about the work of carers comes just weeks after she and husband Wayne beamed with pride as their son Kai made his Old Trafford debut for Manchester United’s U18S.
Kai was originally signed for Manchester City aged seven, having admitted he wasn’t enjoying himself at United. He ultimately left City when Wayne relocated to America to play for DC United. The teenager would then rejoin United in 2020, although his Old Trafford debut represented a rare chance for their club legend to see his son play.
“Kai told Wayne to stop coming to football games when he played grassroots tournaments and stuff, because he used to get swarmed, and he couldn’t even watch the game,” Coleen said on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2024. “How do you say to all of these kids, ‘Go away, I’m watching my son?’
Rosie had Retts Syndrome(Image: PA)
“Adults, it’s different, you could speak to them, so he just said, ‘Oh, dad, there’s no point you coming because you don’t even watch me play anyway.’ Which is sad, but it can’t be helped.”
“We’ve never pressured them into even playing football,” Coleen added to the Mirror in September 2024. “We’ve always just let them decide what they want to do. My eight-year-old was playing and doing really well but then decided he didn’t want to, and that’s OK.
“I think they sometimes get pressure off other people, you know. People approach them now and then if we’re out, they do say, ‘Are you as good as your dad?’ Kai says, ‘I’m a different type of player.’ You’ve got to let them know that you don’t have to follow and to be your own person.”
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