The nine secret talents that Kate has kept hidden over the years from scuba diving, sausage making to using sign language ( just don’t mention knitting)
- The Princess of Wales has countless talents that have been well documented
- Some are less known like her scuba diving ability and use of sign language
- Read here: Kate overcomes her nerves with surprise piano performance
Since joining the royal family, the Princess of Wales has been applauded for her photography skills, piano playing and athletic ability.
But Kate has several other talents that are not as well documented.
From communicating in sign language, to being able to scuba dive down to depths of 30m below sea level, there are endless skills the Princess appears to have in her back pocket.
As well as being a keen beekeeper, MailOnline looks at the Princess’ secret talents.
Sign language
Earlier this year the Princess of Wales showed off her impressive use of sign language while on a royal visit to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, in Falmouth.
Speaking to children from King Charles C of E primary school ahead of a model boat race, Kate appeared to use impromptu sign language to speak to a child who was hard of hearing.
It is not the first time the Princess and the Prince of Wales have showcased the impressive skill.
Earlier this year the Princess of Wales showed off her impressive use of sign language while on a royal visit to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, in Falmouth
In 2014, Kate used sign language while visiting a local scout club in east London.
She used the skill to make the Scout promise: ‘I promise to do my best, to be kind and helpful and to love my world.’
Prince William has also been known to use sign language. In 2020 he presented an MBE to sign language expert Alex Duguid, who signed Emmerdale and Coronation Street for deaf ITV viewers for decades.
The heir may have been inspired to pick up this skill from his mother, who was praised at the time for her work with the deaf community.
Princess Diana became the Royal Patron of the British Deaf Association in 1983 and was ‘greatly admired by deaf people for learning British Sign Language’.
She served as a patron for more than a decade, stepping down in 1996, just a few months before her divorce with Charles was finalised.
Drawing
Kate has become known for her photography skills, releasing portraits of her children for their birthday, instead of commissioning a professional, and even taking photos of Camilla, Queen Consort for Country Life last year.
But Kate has even more artistic skills up her sleeve, including her love of drawing and painting.
Her interest in the creative arts was evident when she graduated from St Andrews University with a 2:1 degree in History of Art but Kate’s creativity was most clearly put on show during her younger sister Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews back in 2017.
On the front of the service booklet, was a drawing of the 12th century St Mark’s Church in Englefield, near Reading.
The sketch, spotted on the mother of the groom’s booklet as she was leaving the church, was said to have been created by the Princess herself.
When Kate’s sister Pippa married James Matthews, the Princess’s detailed drawing was spotted on the order of service carried by the mother of the groom
According to reports, Kate’s handiwork was praised by Reverend Nick Wynne-Jones, who officiated the ceremony. He reportedly said it was a ‘lovely piece’.
The Princess’s talent was also praised by her new brother-in-law who thanked her during his speech.
He said: ‘To Pippa’s sister, such ability – a beautiful drawing of St Mark’s church in the order of service.’
And it does not stop there. As well as photographing her children’s portraits, she has also been drawing them.
In 2015, friends of the Princess told the Daily Mail that Kate had been spending her summers in Norfolk drawing Prince George and Princess Charlotte – her youngest, Prince Louis, had not been born yet.
Kate’s interest in the creative arts was evident when she graduated from St Andrews University with a 2:1 degree in History of Art
Her artistic talent clearly runs throughout the family, with her eldest son George most notably picking up her talent.
Over Christmas, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a festive drawing of a reindeer the future King had made.
They wrote on Instagram, ‘Happy Christmas’, adding that the painting had been made by Prince George.
Royal fans were quick to praise the youngster’s artistic flair, with the artist George based his drawing off singing his praises.
Hannah Dale, of Wrendale Designs, told HELLO! Magazine: ‘I think having a love of animals and love of nature is obviously something that’s maybe captured his attention.
‘That inspires me very much.’
Beekeeping
Just like her brother James Middleton, Kate is also a keen beekeeper, even handing out jars of honey from her garden during royal visits.
Upon a visit to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London in 2021, the Princess revealed she also has bees at her Norfolk residence.
During her visit, she brought along a jar of honey from the Norfolk garden, offering it to children from St Mary of the Angels Primary School in London.
She said: ‘Would you like to try some?’ she asked. ‘I’ve got one spoon each. This came specially from my beehive.
‘See if it tastes the same as at home. Does it taste like honey from the shops? Does it taste like flowers?’
Upon a visit to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London in 2021, the Princess revealed she keeps bees at her Norfolk residence. The Princess of Wales seen here with her bees at her Norfolk residence
Kate went on to ask the children whether they knew how many species of bees there were in England, telling them ‘It’s 350, isn’t that amazing?’
She added: ‘Every time you see a bee, say ‘thank you so much’ because they make delicious honey.’
Her younger brother James, who lives in Berkshire, also has a number of beehives.
In 2019 he spoke about how the hobby had helped with anxiety and depression. He said: ‘Many of you know I am passionate about dogs, but not many know I am almost as passionate about bees.
‘Beekeeping to me is a meditation. It’s a chance to escape my mind and be so consumed by something that hours can pass by without knowing it.
During the visit to the museum, the Princess of Wales gave honey to the children to try
‘Meditation is a wonderful tool to help with stress, anxiety, depression and doesn’t just need to be practiced sitting down.’
James’ passion for beekeeping began in 2011, when his parents and sisters, Kate and Pippa, bought him his first box of bees.
He said: ‘My family—mum, dad and my sisters Catherine and Pippa—clubbed together to buy what for me was the most fantastic birthday gift imaginable.
‘A delivery van arrived with a large buzzing box with the cautionary label: ‘Live Bees.’ Inside was the nucleus—the start—of my colony: 1,000 Buckfast bees.’
His hobby clearly caught on with his older sister too.
Diving
In 2015 Kate gained her the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) open water diving qualification, which allows her to dive up to 30m below the surface
Kate is well known for being a talented sportswoman, captaining her hockey team while at school, being a keen tennis player as well as a good skier.
In 2015, however, she took on a new sport, gaining her the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) open water diving qualification, which allows her to dive up to 30m below the surface.
This is one of the most advanced diving qualifications. Diving any deeper can lead to nitrogen narcosis, which has a similar affect as being drunk on alcohol.
The Telegraph reported at the time that the Princess gained her qualification on the island of Mustique, in the Caribbean, where the Middleton family have been visiting for years.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace confirmed Kate had gained her qualification, adding: ‘Diving is something the Duchess very much enjoys, and the Duke of Cambridge, who is of course President of the BSAC, has said in the past that he is hopeful his children will become interested in the sport.’
In March last year the experienced diving couple explored South Water Caye, in Belize which is the second largest barrier reef in the world
Prince William has been a keen diver for years took over from his father King Charles as being the President of the British Sub-Aqua Club, the governing body for recreational divers across the UK.
More recently the couple were seen taking a break from their Caribbean royal tour, scuba diving with sharks off the coast of Belize.
The experienced diving couple explored South Water Caye, which is the second largest barrier reef in the world.
In a video shared to their official Instagram page, the couple were seen exploring the ocean together and giving each other the ok sign.
The couple were surrounded by harmless nurse sharks as they inspected the conservation work being done on the coral reef.
In the voiceover, Prince William said: ‘It’s really fantastic to see the underwater environment here in Belize, and what wonderful work they’ve been doing to protect the coral and the fish life.
In the voiceover, Prince William said: ‘It’s really fantastic to see the underwater environment here in Belize, and what wonderful work they’ve been doing to protect the coral and the fish life’
‘Belize’s work on marine protection is world-leading, which is crucial when you’re protecting the world’s second largest barrier reef, and in fact it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site.
‘And it’s clear to see the Belizeans value their environment, whether it’s the marine environment or the land environment.
‘It’s great to see that their commitments are going further and further, and we should support them and value their efforts to protect both the marine and the land environments.’
Cooking
Along with all her other talents, Kate is said to be an excellent cook, according to her husband.
Taking part in a cooking class for young cares in Berkshire earlier this year, Prince William said: ‘I do a bit of cooking, not much though. Catherine’s very good though.’
On her first Christmas spent with the royal family, Kate was said to be wracked with nerves and had no idea what to get the Queen, so she settled on making her chutney from her grandmother’s own beloved recipe.
In the documentary, Our Queen at Ninety, she said: ‘I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried about what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, ‘Gosh, what should I give her?’
‘I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table. I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me and I’ve noticed since she’s done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody.’
Along with all her other talents, Kate is said to be an excellent cook – of her husband’s own admission. Taking part in a cooking class for young cares in Berkshire earlier this year, Prince William said: ‘I do a bit of cooking, not much though. Catherine’s very good though’. Pictured: Kate taking part in a cooking class in July 2011
When the couple lived in Anglesey during the early years of their marriage when William served there as RAF Valley search and rescue pilot, the Princess showed off her skills regularly.
Following her shopping trips to the local Waitrose or Morrisons, accompanied by security staff, she would whip up a storm in the kitchen, regularly cooking William his favourite roast chicken dinner or even making homemade sausage in her sausage maker.
While her husband was at work, she would make different flavour jams from plum to strawberry to then be used as Christmas presents.
Piano
In December 2021, Kate shocked fans with her performance accompanying singer Tom Walker during a Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey.
The performance, dedicated to lost loved ones, was applauded by royal fans and musicians alike, as the Princess played the piano to his new single For Those Who Can’t Be Here.
Speaking a year later about the performance, Tom told Good Morning Britain: ‘She is fantastic, she is a really talented musician.’
In December 2021, Kate shocked fans with her performance accompanying singer Tom Walker during a Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey. Pictured: The Princess accompanying Tom Walker on the piano
Clearly, the Princess had been interested in music and theatrics since she was a young child.
In 2014, a video emerged of her playing Eliza in My Fair Lady at just 11-years-old, singing a rendition of Isn’t She Loverly.
Her singing talents are not one that Kate prides herself on, however, and she declared she was a bad singer at her carol concert in 2022.
Laughing and joking with the guests, Kate was heard telling singer Alfie Boe about her own musical skills, saying she needed more practice singing.
‘On the piano you can slightly hide away a bit more than you can do singing,’ she said.
‘Actually, my children probably wouldn’t forgive me – I’m not sure whether they think I’ve got a particularly good singing voice. I’ll have to have some lessons.’
Gardening
Back in 2019, green fingered Kate, whose love of gardening is well documented, showed off her key eye for outdoor design, taking on the Chelsea Flower Show.
The impressive layout was created to encourage families ‘to get outside’ and ‘enjoy nature’, featuring tree house, waterfall, rustic den and a campfire as well as tree stumps, steppingstones and a hollow log for children to play on.
Back in 2019, green fingered Kate, whose love of gardening is well documented, showed off her key eye for outdoor design, taking on the Chelsea Flower Show. Pictured: Kate visiting her garden before it opened to the public
The Princess had been very hands on in the lead up to the unveiling of the Back to Nature Garden, visiting the site every day in the week before the show began.
She decided to plant bluebells as a nostalgic nod to her childhood, as well as forget me nots, in a nod to her mother-in-law Princess Diana as it was one of her favourite flowers.
Her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, also played their part in the garden design, helping their mother gather plants, twigs and moss from Amner Hall, their Norfolk residence.
Rowing
While her athletic ability has been made clear on countless royal visits, from spinning to playing volleyball, one lesser-known talent is that she was once a keen rower.
In 2007, Kate was set to take part in a dragon boat race across the Chanel. The 21-strong female crew, called The Sisterhood, to race a boat of men across the body of water. Pictured: Kate Middleton training on the Thames in 2007
She could even tiller a dragon boat and was set to take part in a race across the Channel in 2007.
Kate was taking part in the 21-strong female crew, called The Sisterhood, to race a boat of men across the body of water.
But Kate did not go ahead with the race after being advised not to by Buckingham Palace.
At this point, William and Kate were clearly together once again after a brief break up.
The Daily Mail was told at the time the official line from the Palace was that Kate being on the boat would put the other women at a security risk.
But unofficial sources told royal expert Richard Kay that they were worried the event would become a media frenzy.
Kate did not go ahead with the race after being advised not to by Buckingham Palace. The Daily Mail was told at the time the official line from the Palace was that Kate being on the boat would put the other women at a security risk. Pictured: Kate Middleton training for The Sisterhood Challenge
He said at the time: ‘I understand she was ordered to drop out by royal aides who fear 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. Courtiers feared she was fast becoming a “media distraction”.’
Nevertheless, the future Princess is clearly a talented rower.
One of her teammates at the time said: ‘There is no doubt she was leant on. She was our helmsman, very strong and very sporty. It’s a huge loss.’
Knitting
While the Princess of Wales seems to have an abundance of talents, not everyone can be perfect.
In 2020, Kate told a group of women she was visiting in Glasgow that she had been attempting to knit a jumper for Prince George – but revealed she was hopeless at it.
She said: ‘I’ve been trying to knit and I’m really bad. I should be asking for tips. I tried knitting when I first had George.
‘I tried to knit him a very special jumper, but I got halfway down, and it splattered. It’s such an amazing skill.’
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