Prince William Reveals Sporty Princess Charlotte's New Hobby to Olympic Athlete

Future royal Olympian?

Princess Charlotte wearing braids and smiling next to a photo of Prince William and Keely Hodgkinson at her Member of the Order of the British Empire investiture
(Image credit: Getty Images/Alamy)

Princess Charlotte definitely takes after her mother, Kate Middleton, in the athleticism department. Like mom, 10-year-old Charlotte seems to be gifted at a number of sports and activities ranging from soccer to ballet to netball—and according to proud dad Prince William, the Lambrook School student has picked up two more sporty hobbies.

The Prince of Wales carried out an investiture at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, May 13, and one of the day's honorees was Olympic runner Keely Hodgkinson. While making the athlete a Member of the Order of the British Empire, Prince William shared that Charlotte was also a track and field star.

"The prince told me his daughter is doing the 400m at the minute and the hurdles and that she did watch me in Paris," Hodgkinson said, per Hello!

The runner, who took home gold for Team GB after winning the women's 800m run at the Paris Olympics, continued that the Prince of Wales told her "that he remembers me winning and that he wished he could be there to see it himself."

Prince William speaking to athlete Keely Hodgkinson, wearing a yellow dress, at Windsor Castle investiture

The Prince of Wales presented Keely Hodgkinson with her MBE at Windsor Castle on May 13.

(Image credit: Alamy)

Princess Charlotte wearing pink sunglasses at Wimbledon and smiling

Princess Charlotte was all smiles while taking in a 2024 Wimbledon match.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William and the rest of his family were unable to attend the 2024 Paris Olympics after the Princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer. In October, the prince met with several Olympic swimmers during an event and revealed the personal reason why he chose to skip the games.

"I was so keen to come, but I have to say after reading someone's interview about COVID I decided—because my wife was obviously having chemo—that I didn't want to risk bringing COVID home," he said.

Although Princess Charlotte didn't get to experience Olympic glory firsthand, perhaps she'll be able to take a trip to the 2026 winter games in Italy. Either way, the young royal is keeping plenty busy back at home in Windsor—and she's got a winning attitude, too. A royal source recently told People that the princess "is known for her grace and sportsmanship" on the field.

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.