Princess Kate and Queen Camilla have an unexpected hobby

Since Kate Middleton married a member of the royal family in 2011, the public has known relatively little about her relationship with her husband’s family, although there have been a few exceptions in recent years.

One member of the royal family with whom the princess has numerous connections is Queen Camilla.

In 2022, the then Duchess of Cornwall’s relationship with her stepdaughter was highlighted when she asked Kate to take her photo for the cover of a special guest edition of the British magazine, Life in the Countryside.

Not only does Camilla now occupy the position that Kate will one day hold – Queen Consort – but they both share interests in art and literature, a favourite milliner (Philip Treacy) and an unexpected hobby – cold-water swimming.

Kate has become known as one of the most sporting members of the royal family, being a fan not only of rugby (she is patron of the English Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union), but also of tennis, sailing, cycling, field hockey and, as she confirmed in 2023, swimming.

Both Camilla and Kate expressed their love of cold-water exercise on camera, with Camilla revealing that her interest in the activity began as a child.

“I love swimming and I love the English sea,” she said in the documentary Camilla’s life in the country in 2022 in a special issue in which she guest-edited the magazine’s edition to mark her 75th birthday.

“I don’t mind the cold, I think we were so used to it when we were kids that it just doesn’t bother me, after the initial, you know, scare of going in and catching your breath, you feel so much better when you get out,” she said. “It’s a wonderful feeling, you feel completely refreshed.”

Asked if she takes a swimsuit with her on her travels around the country, the future queen smiled wryly and said: “I try, but not because I can swim in a lot of places.”

A year later, Kate revealed her love for the hobby by appearing with Prince William and Princess Anne in a special episode The Good, the Bad and Rugby podcast.

“I love swimming, anywhere I can – swimming in cold water – the colder the better,” she told host Mike Tindall, a former England rugby player who is married to William’s cousin Zara Tindall.

“I absolutely love it. A little bit to the point where William says, ‘Catherine, you’re mad, it’s dark and raining.’ I’ll go find some cold water.”

Reflecting on her love of the cold, however, the princess found that she was not yet able to immerse herself in cold water, which is part of the training of some athletes.

“I love it,” she said. “(But) I wouldn’t want to be put through my paces in a freezing, subzero ice bath.”

It is not known whether Kate and the Queen combined their hobbies during their stays at the royal residence of Sandringham in Norfolk, England, which is close to the coast.

The princess has been keeping a low profile this year due to health concerns. Earlier this month, she announced she had completed a course of preventative chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer.

The King and Queen reportedly called the Princess’s announcement “wonderful news.”

William and Kate were photographed on Sunday attending mass with Charles and Camilla at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweekroyal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on NewsweekThe Royals Facebook page.

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