Prince William And Kate Middleton's Most Competitive Moments
Being a member of the monarchy isn't easy. Prince William and Princess Catherine have a long list of royal rules, responsibilities, and obligations. So with so many duties on their royal plates, it's no wonder that the Prince and Princess of Wales like to burn off a little steam via sports.
Throughout history, generations of the monarchy have exhibited an interest in athletic pursuits. King Charles III made quite a name for himself on the polo field, passing his love of the sport onto his sons, both of whom continue to play. Additionally, the young princes spent considerable time on the rugby pitch during their years at Eton and shared a love of skiing with their mum.
Meanwhile, Princess Catharine held her own on the St. Andrew's school's field hockey team and was a member of The Sisterhood rowing team in 2007. When they aren't playing sports, you can often find a few royal faces supporting their favorite teams and events from the sidelines. Queen Elizabeth II, a skilled equestrian who rode until the age of 96, was a regular fixture at the annual Ascot horserace.
Of all the royals, it is William and Catherine who seem to eschew an "all work and no play" lifestyle. Both are known for having a competitive streak and often manage to work a workout into their royal engagements, going up against one another for a good cause, not to mention bragging rights.
Spin it to win it
While you probably won't find the royals clad in spandex at your neighborhood Soul Cycle, the couple did give indoor cycling a spin to promote the importance of both physical and mental health. The event took place earlier this year at the Aberavon Leisure and Fitness Center in South Wales and featured the Prince and Princess of Wales putting the pedal to the metal, so to speak, for 45 seconds. Don't think a 45-second sprint on a stationary bike is challenging? Try doing it in a skirt and high-heeled boots or a suit and tie. That's what the royals did, working up a sweat as they gamely pushed to the finish.
Both parties appeared to be in it to win it, but it was the princess who made the competition look as easy as, well, riding a bike. Us Weekly reports that she was even overheard in a video clip asking if she could "make it harder." In the end, Catherine's competitive edge took over, earning her a trophy for her win. However, we think William earns an honorable mention for being a good sport.
The people of Britain aren't the only thing they serve
Service is just another day in the life for the Prince and Princess of Wales, but this dynamic duo serves more than just the people. They also serve up a mean game of table tennis. as they demonstrated during a 2021 appearance at The Way Youth Zone. To the delight of onlookers, Catherine picked up a paddle at her husband's urging and joined him in a spirited match.
As with the spin class, neither royal was dressed to break a sweat, but that didn't stop them from showing off their skills. According to People, the prince told the crowd, "This could go on for hours," and jokingly added, "Talk amongst yourselves." Infusing an element of play into their royal engagements, especially those geared toward young people, seems to be par for the course for these two, and only adds to the popularity of William and Catherine among young and old alike.
They occasionally get it twisted
Is there anything that Princess Catherine doesn't make look easy? Not according to a viral TikTok video from 2017 that shows the prince and princess tying the knot. No, they didn't renew their vows. While on tour in Germany, the royals competed in a pretzel-making contest that, according to Newsweek, garnered more than 2.3 million views in just three days. Catherine put to rest any speculation about whether she has culinary skills by shaping the homemade dough into a perfect pretzel with seemingly minimal effort, while her less nimble-fingered spouse repeatedly botched the attempt.
The video, captioned, "Catherine be like: Easy Peasy," had viewers in awe of the princess's no-longer-hidden talent, with one viewer calling her "magical." Rather than get his knickers in a twist or appear "salty" about his loss, the future King of England seemed to be having a good time at the event. However, we don't think he'll be trading in his crown for a chef's hat anytime soon.
First in line for the King's crown but last in line for his cup
The Prince and Princess of Wales may be next in line for the throne, but neither one fared very well in the 2019 King's Cup Regatta. According to Forbes, the event marked the first time the pair competed in the tournament, with the goal of raising funds and awareness for the charities they support. And while the royals may be adept at navigating multiple engagements, the paparazzi, and the demands of royalty, navigating the sea proved to be a much bigger challenge.
William's team bested Catherine's with a third-place win, but the princess didn't go away empty-handed. As part of the team that came in last, she was awarded a wooden spoon. Gracious Catherine took her loss in stride, but her daughter, Princess Charlotte made a few waves by sticking her tongue out at the cameras. Proof that life as a royal parent isn't always smooth sailing.
A different kind of royal yacht
Undeterred by the King's Cup, the Prince and Princess of Wales set sail once again in 2021, only this time they traded in their sailboats for land yachts and raced on the West Sands beach at St. Andrew's. As anyone who has followed their fairytale romance knows, St. Andrew's is the university in Scotland where the pair first met. Although it's the place where the couple's friendship turned to love, they weren't there to rekindle the spark.
According to Good Morning America, William and Catherine were there to visit with the Fife Young Carers, an organization that a Kensington Palace spokesperson said helps local caregivers "maintain their physical and mental wellbeing through a range of outdoor activities, workshops, and residential trips." After trading in their crowns for helmets, the royals raced their land yachts with members of the organization before engaging them in conversation about the challenges presented by the pandemic. Although the Prince may have won the race, the trip was a winning combination of work and play for both royals.
Princess Catherine sails to victory over Prince William
While Prince William may hold the most recent sailing wins on both land and sea, Princess Catherine left him out to dry in 2014 while on a tour in New Zealand. The royals raced 80-foot America's Cup Yachts around the Auckland harbor, with Catherine sailing smoothly past her husband not once but twice, according to the Los Angles Times. Before the race, the royals enjoyed playfully taunting one another. People reports that the princess gave William a friendly pat on the back telling him to "Take care," to which he replied, "Yeah, see you later." Still, it was Catherine who had the last laugh. Even though she doesn't have to curtsey to her husband, Daily Mail reported that she did give him a "cheeky victory salute" as she left him in her wake.
Neither William nor Catherine are strangers to sailing on open water. Both are skilled at sea, having grown up learning to navigate the wind and waves. It's a pastime the royals have enjoyed together since the early days of their marriage and one that they now share with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlottes, and Prince Louis.
The royals take a shot at ice hockey
Being pregnant did not stop Princess Catherine from grabbing a hockey stick and challenging Prince William to a penalty shoot-out while on a tour of Sweden and Norway. Catherine may have had an advantage thanks to her days of playing field hockey at St. Andrew's School, but it was William who came out on top, scoring two out of his three attempts to the princess's one. Catherine wasn't frosty about her loss but instead played it cool, braving the freezing temperatures with her husband to chat with members of the local bandy hockey team.
International bandy player Anna Widing, who coached the royals prior to the shootout, told The Daily Mirror that she was "impressed" with the princess' swing. She also observed firsthand the couple's competitive nature. "I could see they maybe they like to beat each other," she said, adding that "also they were pushing each other to do well."
A royal race to the finish
The boys outnumbered the girls when Prince William, Prince Harry, and Princess Catherine took to the track in 2017 for a 50-meter sprint to support runners from Heads Together, an organization aimed at removing the stigma around mental health. The race took place at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and pitted royal against royal against royal. Catherine and William presented a united front as they high-fived at the starting line and hugged at the finish. Teamwork didn't make the dream work, however. Although he may be the "spare" to the throne, younger brother Harry left the Prince and Princess of Wales in the dust, crossing the finishing line just ahead of William, with Catherine bringing up the rear.
The event once again combined work with play as the royals chatted with the Heads Together runners after the race about the importance and benefits of exercise on mental health. According to Us Weekly, the prince expressed his appreciation for the organization and its mission, telling the participants, "You are crucial to making this happen, and we can't do it without you."
The royal court
It was love all when the Prince and Princess of Wales picked up their racquets and went head to head while visiting with the Lawn Tennis Association Foundation's Youth Program in 2021. This inclusive program makes tennis accessible to youth of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. According to a post on the royal's Instagram page, the pair split up into Team Duke and Team Duchess for a few rounds with the children, with Team Duke allegedly declared "the clear winner."
Catherine, who played on St. Andrew's tennis team, is an avid tennis fan, and both she and William are regular fixtures at Wimbledon. According to People, Catherine has a private court at her Norfolk home where she and the prince hone their skills and engage in friendly matches. When they aren't volleying with each other, the couple serve up family fun at a private club where the little royals are enrolled in lessons.
A face off at a bake off
It was all holiday fun and festivities when Prince William and Princess Catherine joined former "Great British Bake Off" judge Mary Berry for the 2019 holiday special "A Berry Royal Christmas." That is, until they got competitive in the kitchen. The special featured the Prince and Princess of Wales whipping up a delicious holiday meal for a party to honor the many volunteers who work tirelessly through the holidays at charitable organizations. Dressed in red and looking very jolly, William and Catherine gamely donned aprons and bustled around the kitchen under Berry's watchful eye. It wasn't long, though, before the host observed the pair trying to one-up each other in the dessert department.
According to Daily Express, Berry told BBC Radio 4 Today that while preparing a roulade, the prince and princess couldn't keep their eyes to themselves, sneaking peeks at the other's progress. In the end, in what she jokingly deemed a "diplomatic cop-out," Berry declared the competition a tie. Although neither royal could claim victory, the event was a big win for the volunteers who were the recipients of a holiday feast fit for a king.
The royals like to mix it up
If the whole heir to the throne thing doesn't work out, it looks like the Prince and Princess of Wales might be able to land a job at the local pub. While on a visit to Northern Ireland in 2022, the two mixed it up when they jumped behind a local bar at the Trademarket outdoor market in Belfast to take a shot at cocktail mixing. The race was on as the pair mixed, muddled, shook, and sipped the final pretty, pink (possibly potent) product.
According to Hello Magazine, William was declared the winner. Perhaps that's because he has some experience in the cocktail-making department. Apparently, Prince William helps his wife relax at the end of a long day by mixing her a gin and tonic. Now that's royal service! For his part, the prince has admitted to preferring vodka, telling Tequila Raiders that he enjoys a Kamikaze, which he calls "silent but deadly."
Sometimes even a royal misses the mark
Princess Catherine is always flawless, but sometimes even she misses the mark. That was the case while the royals were on tour in Bhutan where they tried their hands at archery, the country's national sport. Despite looking every bit the part in her skirt made from Bhutanese fabric, Catherine proved that the clothes don't make the archer. After watching professionals show off thier skills, the prince and princess took turns firing their own arrows.
According to The Evening Standard, the princess's first attempt only soared about 20 yards, while the prince actually overshot the mark not once but twice causing him to quip, "I hope I haven't killed a driver or that man on the bridge."
Not ones to take themselves too seriously, the royals were seen having a good laugh over their poor showings. Perhaps they should leave the arrow shooting to Cupid, since they seem to have more luck in love than on the archery field.