Princess Charlotte has taken on a new hobby, at least according to dad Prince William.
English middle-distance runner Keely Hodgkinson attended an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, May 13. The athlete — who won a gold medal in the 800 meters event at the 2024 Paris Olympics — discovered that she and the 10-year-old princess had something in common while chatting with William, 42.
“The prince told me his daughter is doing the 400 meters at the minute and the hurdles and that she did watch me in Paris,” Hodgkinson, 23, told the press after receiving her honor on Tuesday. “He told me that he remembers me winning and that he wished he could be there to see it himself.”
Hodgkinson noted that being honored by William was “really nice,” adding that the “whole experience has been amazing.”
The athlete also offered a major training update, revealing that she is gearing up for a competition next month, her first since a hamstring tear in February.
“Currently I feel really good, we’re in a really good place,” Hodgkinson said, per U.K.’s The Independent. “The hamstring progressed nicely and we took our time with it and we have had no problems so far, which has been really positive, back in full training, doing everything.”
As of now, Charlotte will not be joining Hodgkinson in any competitions, but the youngster has expressed interest in other sports — not just running — over the years. Princess Kate Middleton previously revealed that her only daughter had quite the penchant for soccer and rugby as well.
“Charlotte’s playing both the sports now, and it’s really good to see youngsters, particularly girls, playing these types of sports now,” Kate, 43, said during a 2023 appearance on “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby” podcast. The Princess of Wales noted at the time that those full-contact activities “weren’t school sports when I was growing up.”
William and Kate are also the parents of sons Prince George, 11, and Prince Louis, 7.
“What I think is really interesting is that they are all obviously very different temperaments,” Kate said of her kids during the same podcast appearance. “They are growing and trying out different sports.”
George, for one, has started to follow in his father’s footsteps as a soccer (or football in the U.K.) fan.
“They’re obviously still really young,” Kate said during the same podcast. “It’s going to be interesting to see how that grows and develops.”
