Prince William’s Favorite Hobby Always Scared the Heck Out of Queen Elizabeth II
Prince William is currently second in the line of succession to the British throne and has spent years training with Queen Elizabeth II for the role of one day being king. Her Majesty always wanted William to be mindful and careful of how he lived his life in preparation for that future role, however, one of his favorite hobbies terrified his grandmother.
Read on to find out what that hobby is and if the Duke of Cambridge still does it today.
What Prince William’s relationship is like with Queen Elizabeth
William found out about his destiny when he was a young boy. His parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, wanted to wait until he was at an appropriate age to tell him what his future would entail. However, that plan was spoiled when he started school because the other students let him know exactly who he was.
According to royal biographer Andrew Morton, one of William’s classmates asked him: “Don’t you know the queen?” The prince then replied, “Don’t you mean Granny?”
But learning the truth then did give Queen Elizabeth the chance to prep William at a young age for his future as the monarch.
“There has always been a special closeness between William and the queen, and she has taken a particular interest in him,” Robert Lacey, royal historian and consultant to the hit Netflix series The Crown, told People. “She would have him at Windsor Castle and would open the state boxes and guide him through the papers. It was William’s constitutional education.”
The hobby William enjoyed that the queen wasn’t a fan of
Many royal fans always thought of Prince Harry as the adventures brother, but William has that streak in him as well and one of his favorite hobbies has been motorcycling.
According to the documentary Chasing the Royals, Her Majesty didn’t approve of the hobby because she viewed it as dangerous. But it actually provided a comfort for William.
“I don’t know what it is about bikes, but I’ve always had a passion for motorbikes ever since I was very small. I used to do a lot of go-karting when I was younger and then after that I went on to quadbikes and eventually motorbikes,” the prince said, adding, “It does help being anonymous with my motorcycle helmet on because it does enable me to relax. But I just enjoy everything about motorbikes and the camaraderie that comes with it.”
Royal photographer James Whitaker once pointed out that he thought William’s hobby was “strange” because “[Princess Diana] was constantly fleeing from the paparazzi, who were on motorbikes. Now her son is using a motorbike for the same sort of reasons.”
The duke doesn’t jump on bikes now as much as he used to after having children. One of the last times he was photographed riding one was when he visited the Triumph Motorcycles and MIRA Technology Park in 2018.
Read more: Kate Middleton Reveals the Surprising Thing Princess Charlotte Handles Better Than Prince William
