Prince William Reveals Princess Charlotte’s Surprising New Hobby

Charlotte, who just turned 10 years old earlier this month, is a natural athlete—and has added a new sport to her roster.

• Prince William hosted an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on May 13, where he presented an MBE to Olympic runner Keely Hodgkinson.
• While speaking with her, the Prince of Wales revealed that his daughter Princess Charlotte has taken up running.
• It’s not surprising, considering that sporty Charlotte already is into everything from gymnastics, tap, and ballet to soccer and rugby.

When it comes to hobbies, Princess Charlotte is an athlete at her core, enjoying soccer, rugby, ballet, tap, and gymnastics, for starters.

On May 13, her dad Prince William—who, you know, is also the Prince of Wales—gave out honors at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, where he let slip that Charlotte has a new hobby she’s enjoying: running.

While speaking to Olympic runner Keely Hodgkinson, who won gold in the 800m at the Paris Olympics last summer and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (or MBE for short) on Tuesday, William told her Charlotte “is doing the 400m at the minute and the hurdles, and that she did watch me in Paris,” per The Independent.

“He told me that he remembers me winning and that he wishes he could be there to see it himself,” she added.

Back in October, William shared that he skipped the 2024 Paris Olympics because he “didn’t want to risk” contracting COVID as his wife, Kate Middleton, was still undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the time. (She announced in September that her treatment had ended, and further shared in January that she was in remission.)

“I was so keen to come, but I have to say after reading someone’s interview about COVID I decided, because my wife was obviously having chemo, that I didn’t want to risk bringing COVID home,” the future king said, via People.

Speaking of his family, he added, “But we watched the whole thing. We were glued to it every day.”

Hodgkinson added that it was “really nice” to be given her honor by William, sharing that the “whole experience has been amazing.”

Of Charlotte, the Princess of Wales has previously shared that “She spends most of her time upside down doing handstands or cartwheels.” She’s also a natural soccer player, where People reported that the newly minted 10-year-old (who turned double digits on May 2) “is known for her grace and sportsmanship—often seen congratulating players on the opposing team.”

While William is himself athletic, Kate too is a skilled athlete, and a palace source told People that Charlotte is “clearly sporty like her mother. A bit of a mini-me.”