Five surprising Royal hobbies

We follow their every move, but what do the Royals do when they're off duty? Here's a look at some of the more surprising royal hobbies.

We know lots about them, but do you know how the royal family relaxes? Here's a collection of five surprising royal hobbies. King Charles' hobby may surprise you the most!

Kate, Princess of Wales

Kate is a photography fan and often releases private images she's taken of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis rather than rely on official photographers. Kate was also named as patron of the Royal Photographic Society.

King Charles 

The fact that the King is a keen gardener is well known, but did you also know that he's a hedge-laying enthusiast? Yes, Prince Charles is a patron of the National Hedgelaying Society and has hosted the National Hedgelaying Championships at the Home Farm, located in the gardens of Highgrove House. Where we might add, the King has laid many of the hedges himself.

The King has officially become Park Ranger of Windsor Great Park, 70 years after his father, The Duke of Edinburgh, was appointed to the post.

The Ranger offers guidance to the Deputy Ranger and his team in the day-to-day stewardship of one of the country’s oldest estates. pic.twitter.com/yNLMwfOLoa

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 14, 2022

Queen Elizabeth

The late Queen's love of racehorses is nothing new, but did you know that she kept over 200 racing pigeons in a purpose-built loft at Sandringham?

Zara Tindell 

Like her mother Princess Anne, Zara was a member of the British equestrian team, winning a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. Zara also finished second at Luhmuhlen in 2013 before taking a break to have her child Mia. She successfully returned to the saddle in time to win team silver at the 2014 World Equestrian Games. Zara now rides whenever she can. 

Prince Philip 

It should come as no surprise to learn that Prince Philip had many competitive hobbies, including polo which he played competitively until his early 50s. However, once he hung up his mallet he turned his attention to carriage racing, which sounds sedate but is anything but. Carriage racing sees participants drive a team of horses (plus a carriage) around a field full of obstacles at high speed. 

* Originally published in 2019. Updated in 2022.