Kate Middleton, known for her athletic prowess and love of various sports, shares many interests with her husband, Prince William. However, there is one passion of William's that terrifies Kate and has her particularly concerned about their eldest son, Prince George, developing a similar interest.
Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, has always been an avid sports enthusiast, excelling in activities such as hockey, netball, table tennis, and sailing. Her enthusiasm for sports is well-documented, with her frequent appearances at Wimbledon and her participation in a charity tennis match against Roger Federer last year, where she earned high praise for her performance. Prince William also shares a love for sports, having played water polo at St Andrew's University and enjoying swimming, skiing, and football.
Despite their shared love of sports, there is one activity that Prince William enjoys that Kate finds horrifying: motorbiking. In 2015, during a royal visit to Dundee, Kate openly admitted her fears about William's passion for motorbikes. At the time, their eldest son, Prince George, was just two years old, and their daughter, Princess Charlotte, was a few months old. Kate expressed her anxiety, saying, "He's [William] still riding it. It always fills me with horror when he goes out on it. I'm terrified. Hopefully, I'm going to keep George off it."
Prince William's love for motorbikes began at a young age. He obtained his motorbike license on his first attempt at the age of 19, after practicing on his red Kawasaki 125cc bike on the grounds of his father's Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire. He once explained his passion for motorbikes, stating, "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."
William's love for motorbikes provides him with a sense of anonymity and relaxation, something he values given his public role. He mentioned, "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."
In 2018, three years after Kate voiced her fears, William acknowledged that fatherhood had made him more cautious, and his days of frequent motorbike riding were behind him. Speaking at the Isle of Man TT races, he remarked, "I'm a dad of three. I have to tone it down. I miss big trips; for me, biking was always about being with everybody else."
Kate's concerns are not unfounded. Motorbiking is a risky hobby, and she fears that Prince George might inherit this passion from his father. William's enthusiasm for motorbikes is evident in various instances, such as when he rode his Triumph Daytona 600 motorbike to play in the Burberry Cup polo match in 2005 and when he left a charity polo match on his Ducati 1198S in 2009.
As a parent, Kate's primary concern is the safety of her children. With Prince Louis already showing a penchant for speed by racing around Windsor Castle in a toy electric car, the likelihood of their children wanting to ride motorbikes like their father is a real possibility.
Despite these fears, William continues to enjoy his passion for motorbikes, albeit more cautiously. During a royal engagement at the Isle of Man TT races, he sat on a stationary bike without a helmet but refrained from riding it, much to Kate's relief. When asked about Kate's reaction to his visit, William humorously recalled, "When I said I was going to the Isle of Man for an official visit, she said, 'Really?'"
