Kate Middleton’s Special Talents Prove She's More Than Just A Princess

Scuba diving is very cool — but a typical pastime for a princess? Well, it may come as a surprise that Kate is a superstar diver! The Princess of Wales loves to swap her tiaras and gowns for a wetsuit and goggles. And she’s even earned some pretty impressive credentials via the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, allowing her to dive to depths of nearly 100 feet underwater. It’s one of the harder diving qualifications to achieve.

Kate got this qualification back in 2015 during her stay on Mustique, an island in the Caribbean. “Diving is something the princess very much enjoys, and the Prince of Wales has said in the past that he’s hopeful his children will become interested in the sport,” Kensington Palace noted in a statement afterwards. Kate and William have since gone diving together: the royal pair got a closer look at some nurse sharks in Belize in March 2022.

You may expect a princess to be waited on hand and foot, with private chefs on call to prepare feasts fit for a royal. But Kate is reportedly an excellent hand in the kitchen herself. William said as much at an event in 2023, revealing, “I do a bit of cooking, not much, though. Catherine’s very good, though.” Apparently, the princess often prepared meals while her husband was away with the Royal Air Force during their time in Anglesey, Wales.

What does Kate love to cook, then? She reportedly likes to make her own sausages, and she has a roast chicken dish in her repertoire that William absolutely adores, too. In addition to that, the royal apparently loves making jelly from scratch: her go-to flavors include strawberry and plum. And if that weren’t enough, Kate even gifted the late Queen Elizabeth II a homemade chutney one Christmas. Yum!

Did you know that Kate knows how to sign? When she dropped in on a Scout pack in London, England, back in 2014, she showcased her impressive sign-language abilities. The princess confidently relayed part of the Scout Promise: “I promise to do my best, to be kind and helpful and to love my world.” And that wouldn’t be the last time she’d do it, either, which brings us to 2023.

After arriving at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Kate and William had a chat with some kids who were participating in a model boat race. One member of the group was hard of hearing, so the princess quickly dusted off her sign language to communicate with them. Talk about thinking on your feet, right? William is pretty adept at it as well.

During a trip to Port Talbot, Wales, in February 2023 Kate and William dropped by the Aberavon Leisure and Fitness Center. While there, they were introduced to a group of schoolkids in the middle of a gymnastics class. And as the children showed what they could do, the princess posed them a question.

“Can you do the splits?” Kate enquired. “I was able to do it when I was little, but I’ll have to keep practising now.” It’s a talent that appears to run in the family as well. When one young girl pulled off a perfect split on the floor, the Princess of Wales noted, “My little girl [Charlotte] likes to do that, too.” We wonder if they’ve ever tried doing it in unison at home?

Have you ever seen a princess rocking a beekeeping suit before? Just take a look at Kate Middleton! It may come as something of a surprise that Kate is a very active member of the beekeeping community. The royal has a colony of her own bees in the garden of her estate in Norfolk, England, which produces a fair amount of honey. And the Princess of Wales has no qualms handing it out at royal engagements.

For instance, Kate shared some of her honey with a group of schoolkids during a trip to London’s Natural History Museum in 2021. The royal was heard saying, “Would you like to try some? I’ve got one spoon each. This came specially from my beehive. See if it tastes the same as at home.” How does a princess get into beekeeping? It turns out she followed her younger brother’s lead: James Middleton also loves his bees!

Playing the piano may sound like more of a typical hobby for a princess to have than beekeeping, but a lot of people were still stunned when Kate revealed just how good she is on the keys in 2021. She took center stage at Westminster Abbey for a special carol concert just before Christmas. The royal sat down at a piano while musician Tom Walker stepped up to the mic, and they wowed the crowd with their unexpected collaboration.

Piano clearly isn’t just a casual hobby for Kate; she has some serious skills. She played along to Walker’s track “For Those Who Can’t Be Here,” and she knocked it out of the park. Her display earned plenty of praise, and Walker himself was suitably impressed. The singer said in an interview with Good Morning Britain in 2022, “She’s fantastic; she is a really talented musician.”

With a university degree in History of Art, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to hear that Kate is, ahem, drawn to the subject of art. Yet you still might be unaware that the royal is extremely talented when it comes to painting and drawing. She’s an excellent artist, with a particular knack for using pencil. The world got a glimpse of her artistic skills in 2017.

When Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, got married that year, the princess drew a beautiful picture of an old church that graced the service program covers. Pippa’s husband was certainly impressed; he even praised her artwork in his wedding speech. Plus, back in 2015, some of Kate’s friends noted that she has spent a lot of time sketching her kids. Cute! We wonder if she does commissions.

Did you know that Kate has a serious green thumb? We guess this makes sense for a member of the royal family; just think of all those beautiful palace gardens to tend to! Kate loves gardening, and she showed off her skills when she was given the chance to take part in the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show in 2019. She helped design and put together a special piece for the garden show, which she called “Back to Nature Garden.”

The results were stunning: Kate’s creation included a waterfall, a treehouse, steppingstones, a campfire, and a rustic den. As for the flowers, she opted for bluebells — a favorite from her younger years, and forget-me-nots — The late Princess Diana loved those when she was still with us, too. Kate didn’t do it all alone, either: Prince Louis, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte also gave their mom a hand during the creative process!

As it turns out, Kate isn’t just a skilled artist: she’s an equally fantastic photographer, too. She made history in 2015 as the first royal to take an “official portrait” of a future sovereign, capturing her young son George. Then, in 2022, the Princess of Wales took part in a magazine photoshoot that centered on her mother-in-law Camilla.

Kate snapped a number of photos of Queen Consort Camilla to celebrate her 75th birthday, with the pictures being shared in Country Life magazine. Camilla had a great time on the shoot and didn’t hold back in her praise of Kate. She told ITV News, “We had a lot of fun. It was very relaxed. It was very kind [that] the Princess of Wales came with her camera; she’s an extremely good photographer.”

Rugby is a typically British sport, so we’re sure many of the royal family members love to watch and play it. But it’s also one of the most physical sports on the planet, pushing players to their absolute limit. But Kate has shown that it’s not all about power. The princess unveiled some tidy skills with the oval ball when she joined England’s international side for a bit of training in 2022. From kicking to line-outs, she wasn’t afraid to get stuck in!

Kate has had a long association with the sport, going all the way back to her childhood. Sister Pippa shed some light on that while chatting with Vanity Fair in 2014. “We’d plan our weekends around the [rugby] matches,” she noted. “If we lost, my dad would be in a state of despair for the rest of the afternoon.” Kate was even selected as Patron of the Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union a short time.

A princess taking to the high seas? You don’t see too many of those nowadays! But Kate certainly knows her way around a boat; she’s had a strong interest in it for years, jumping on sailboats whenever she can. The Princess of Wales has even managed to test her skills while on official tours around the world, which shows how much she enjoys the activity.

Kate has apparently been very eager to share this interest with her family, too. A past report suggested that the royal passed down some of her knowledge to both Charlotte and George as they enjoyed a summer holiday. And now the pair are said to be developing a growing passion for the hobby. Will they follow in their mom’s footsteps?

Alongside all her other talents, Kate has also proven herself to be a tremendous rower. Back in 2007 she was involved with a team known as The Sisterhood ahead of a race across the English Channel. She didn’t take part in the end, though, as Buckingham Palace intervened. Richard Kay, a royal specialist, said, “I understand she was ordered to drop out by royal aides who feared Kate’s continued role was in danger of becoming a major media event.”

“Clarence House had watched on with growing unease as The Sisterhood’s practice sessions on the Thames near Chiswick and Putney had become a magnet for the paparazzi,” Kay added. Mind you, the team missed Kate after she left. One of the rowers stated, “There’s no doubt she was leant on. She was our helmsman, very strong and very sporty. It’s a huge loss.”

It goes without saying that giving birth can take a lot out of moms. But in Kate’s case, she was back on her feet quite quickly following the arrival of George in 2013. In fact, the princess was pretty eager to showcase her sporty talents when she and William visited the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London that October. This was only three months on from the delivery!

Rocking wedged shoes and a stylish outfit, Kate stepped onto the volleyball court inside the park’s Copper Box building. And according to those who were there, her skills didn’t look out of place. One of the other players informed magazine Us Weekly at the time, “She was a natural. You can tell she’s sporty. She said she’s played a little before.”

Since joining the royal family, Kate has been a regular attendee at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Long before she was named Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the Princess of Wales was almost always in the crowd! Yet she isn’t just a fan of watching the sport; she loves to grab a racket and play herself as well.

Kate and William have a tennis court at their Norfolk estate, allowing them to enjoy some matches together. Plus, the royal has also joined a couple of stars for a bit of playtime over the years. She hit a ball around with British tennis star Emma Raducanu in 2021 and also enjoyed a friendly knockaround with Roger Federer in June 2023. Kate even managed to score a point against Federer, which is no mean feat!

As it turns out, Kate’s musical abilities stretch beyond playing the piano. She also has a pretty good singing voice — or at least she did during her younger years. We got a glimpse of her singing skills in a video excerpt from a school production of My Fair Lady that emerged online. An 11-year-old Kate had taken on the lead part of Eliza Doolittle, skillfully belting out a rendition of “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly.”

Now, while Kate’s loyal followers loved what they heard, it seems unlikely that she’ll take to the stage again. Why? Well, when the princess engaged in a conversation with U.K. singer Alfie Bow at an event, someone queried if she’d test out her voice. “Next time!” Kate said with a laugh. “Actually my children probably wouldn’t forgive me: I’m not sure whether they think I’ve got a particularly good singing voice.”