Prince William's Motorcycling Hobby "Frightened the Life Out of" Queen Elizabeth

Prince William used to love to ride motorcycles. The hobby reportedly scared his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

Event, Official,
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Queen has a lot of say over what the other members of the royal family can do with their lives—including, in some cases, who they can marry. Even the Queen can't control everything though, and apparently that includes royal hobbies. Prince William, in particular, used to have a favorite hobby that Queen Elizabeth was decidedly not a fan of.

That hobby? Riding motorcycles. According to Express, Will has gushed about his love for bikes, saying: 

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Visits The Isle of Man

(Image credit: WPA Pool)

He continued:

Prince William on Motorbike

(Image credit: Tim Graham)

According to royal photographer James Whitaker, however, Queen Elizabeth didn't like Will's favorite hobby.

"I think it frightens the life out of people at Buckingham Palace and almost certainly, the Queen too. It is a strange thing," he said. "His mother was constantly fleeing from the paparazzi, who were on motorbikes. Now her son is using a motorbike for the same sort of reasons."

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Weekend Editor at Cosmopolitan

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.