I love the cold weather. When it gets to 40 degrees, even 30 degrees, that’s perfect walking/hiking weather as far as I’m concerned. After an autumn “warm spell,” it’s finally gotten colder this week in Virginia and my walks have been amazing. That being said, I will never understand those Nordic traditions of swimming in freezing water. I will not try it. As it turns out, the Princess of Wales loves “cold swimming.” People Mag seemingly just around to listening to Kate and William’s appearance on Mike Tindall’s rugby podcast (which came out in September), and Kate spoke about how she loved to swim in freezing water.
The Princess of Wales, 41, revealed that cold swimming is part of her fitness routine — even though Prince William, 41, is not a fan! The couple appeared together with Princess Anne on an episode of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast (hosted by Anne’s son-in-law, Mike Tindall!) last month as the Rugby World Cup kicked off in France. Prince William, Princess Kate and Princess Anne are the patrons of the Welsh Rugby Union, Rugby Football Union (of England) and Scottish Rugby Union, respectively.
Princess Kate spoke about the importance of being active, something she’s been encouraged to do since her childhood. Revealing one of her current fitness hobbies, the Princess of Wales shared that she’s into cold swimming.
“The colder, the better. I absolutely love it,” she said. “Slightly to the point where William’s like, ‘Catherine, you’re crazy.’ And it’s dark, and it’s raining.”
While meeting well-wishers in Wales earlier this year, Kate shared that she even had a robe for after her swims, a remark prompted by someone who was wearing a robe to keep warm in the rain.
“She said she wears one of them when she goes cold water swimming,” local mom Alison Cheeke told PEOPLE.
According to an article published by Harvard Public Health, cold water swimming is believed to provide mental health benefits in addition to physical exercise (although evidence is mixed).
Many athletes employ ice baths for recovery and some even go as far as using cryochambers. So I believe that cold swimming is beneficial for many but it sounds like Kate just swims in the off-season in Norfolk, really. And does William even care? His wife is swimming in icy conditions in the dark, in the rain. He’s probably not even around when she does it.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images, Instar.
Plymouth, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Royal Patron of the 1851 Trust, visits Plymouth to meet with young people taking part in the Trust’s activities to promote sustainability and get a taste of the incredible speed and skill involved in the SailGP – the global racing championship taking place in Plymouth Pictured: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge – Ben Ainslie BACKGRID USA 31 JULY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* Plymouth, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Royal Patron of the 1851 Trust, visits Plymouth to meet with young people taking part in the Trust’s activities to promote sustainability and get a taste of the incredible speed and skill involved in the SailGP – the global racing championship taking place in Plymouth Pictured: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 31 JULY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* Plymouth, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Royal Patron of the 1851 Trust, visits Plymouth to meet with young people taking part in the Trust’s activities to promote sustainability and get a taste of the incredible speed and skill involved in the SailGP – the global racing championship taking place in Plymouth Pictured: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 31 JULY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Plymouth, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Royal Patron of the 1851 Trust, visits Plymouth to meet with young people taking part in the Trust’s activities to promote sustainability and get a taste of the incredible speed and skill involved in the SailGP – the global racing championship taking place in Plymouth Pictured: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 31 JULY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* The Prince and Princess of Wales visit East Boston with Mayor Michelle Wu to see the changing face of Boston’s shoreline as the city contends with rising sea levels. At Piers Park, The Prince and Princess explored the past, present and future of Boston’s waterfront Featuring: Prince William, Catherine, Princess Of Wales, Mayor Michelle Yu Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 01 Dec 2022 Credit: Doug Peters/PA Images/INSTARimag/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** The Prince and Princess of Wales meet injured players who are supported by the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust, before officially opening the Sir Tasker Watkins Suite, ahead of the Wales vs England Six Nations Match at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Picture date: Saturday February 25, 2023. Featuring: Catherine, Princess Of Wales Where: Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom When: 25 Feb 2023 Credit: Matthew Horwood/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWxjZ4J5e8%2BroKeblajAoLfArZyYpJ%2BrsrSrwqijnZejrLauucinnpihnpSxor7KmKmaoZ6urKS7zZ2graGfo8CgwMeelpynnJmys6vToZyYmpWpwaa%2Bjg%3D%3D