The Princess of Wales previously revealed she ‘absolutely loves’ her slightly unusual hobby – but admitted that her husband Prince William thinks she is ‘crazy’
It’s no secret that Princess Kate is incredibly sporty. But there is one physical pursuit she absolutely loves that Prince William just cannot get his head around.
Kate opened up on her ‘crazy’ hobby – which she also does in the dark – during an appearance on Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby .
She told Mike – married to Zara Tindall since 2011 – “I can always remember being physical, using our bodies, whether it’s walking, climbing the lake district, in Scotland [or] swimming from a young age. [My parents] always encouraged us to be physically active and sporty and they always encouraged us into doing team sports and trying things.”
She then shared her love of cold water swimming, which has many health benefits and involves swimming during the winter season in outdoor locations or unheated pools – even in the dark. Kate enthused: “Cold swimming – the colder, the better. I absolutely love it. Slightly to the point where William’s [saying] ‘You’re crazy’ and it’s dark and it’s raining. I will go and seek out cold water. I love it.”
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).
It also means she can dive with her husband, Prince William , who has had his scuba qualifications for some time – and is the president of the British Sub-Aqua Club. A spokesperson for Kate told the Telegraph at the time, “Diving is something the Duchess very much enjoys, and the Duke of Cambridge, who is of course president of the BSAC, has said in the past that he is hopeful his children will become interested in the sport.”
The royal had to complete five dives, including a deep dive and an underwater navigation dive, to pass the course. She learnt how to cope with the physiological effects of deeper scuba diving, as well as how to handle equipment including a compass and a dive knife, which would be used in emergencies such as becoming entangled in fishing nets.
That same year, William spoke about his own passion, admitting he hoped Prince George, then two, would follow in his footsteps.
“Scuba diving really has opened my eyes not only to many extraordinary sights, but also to the responsibilities that we have as guardians of the underwater world,” said William. ”I hope that one day my son, George, will also experience the wonders that snorkelling and scuba diving have to offer. At the moment bath time is quite painful,” he joked. “But hopefully donning a snorkel and mask might calm him down.”
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