The Princess of Wales once admitted to a ‘crazy’ hobby that appeared not to be shared with husband Prince William – but it seems he may have had a change of heart
The Prince and Princess iof Wales (Image: Getty)
Prince William appears to have made a U-turn when it comes to one of his wife’s hobbies he previously called ‘crazy’. In 2023, the Princess of Wales made the unexpected admission that one of her loves was outdoor cold water swimming, saying: “The colder the better.”
It came as William, Kate and William’s aunt Princess Anne were interviewed by Anne’s son-in-law about sport for a special episode of the podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby. On it Kate, explained how even when it’s dark and wet she would seek out cold water, and explained that her husband thought that she was crazy.
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William on a beach walk in Wales earlier this week (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
However, it seems Kate might have persuaded William of the benefits as on a recent royal outing, William told how he has now got into the practice.
While enjoying a beach walk in Colwyn Bay while on a visit to Wales earlier this week, he met with members of the Colwyn Bay Blue Tits – a cold water swimming group.
He told them, he had now done some outdoor cold water swimming dips in Scotland and agreed that “you feel great afterwards”. He added: “I love it. I do a lot of yelling and screaming when I get in.”
It comes after Kate shared that she even has a robe she uses, especially after swims. While at an outing in Wales, where they were due to meet the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, Kate made the remark after someone was wearing a robe to keep warm in the rain.
William and Kate during an episode of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby
Local mum Alison Cheeke told People: “She said she wears one of them when she goes cold water swimming.” Cold water swimming is believed to have huge mental health benefits, in addition to being good physical exercise, according to an article published by Harvard Public Health.
The Princess certainly has a love of the water. In 2015, it was revealed that she is also a qualified scuba diver. Kensington Palace confirmed that she had passed a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Advanced Open Water Diver qualification, which will allow her to dive to a depth of up to 98 feet (30 metres).
Meanwhile, William also has a hobby that fills Kate with fear. During a visit to the Scottish city of Dundee back in 2015, Kate was asked during a royal engagement whether William would still ride a motorbike from time to time.
She said: “He’s still riding it. It always fills me with horror when he goes out on it. I’m terrified. Hopefully, I’m going to keep George off it.”
However, during a trip to the Isle of Man TT motorcycle races, William explained that he wasn’t riding anymore, saying: “I’m a dad of three. I have to tone it down. I miss the big trips, for me biking was always about being with everybody else.”
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