The Prince and Princess of Wales are a picture-perfect match in almost every way, and one of the most iconic royal couples in the modern world – but that doesn't mean they agree on everything.
In a previous appearance on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast in late 2023, hosted by James Haskell, Mike Tindall and Alex Payne, the mother-of-three revealed that she and her husband are complete opposites when it comes to the topic of swimming.
© Getty Images"Personally, I love swimming," the 43-year-old began. "Cold swimming, the colder [the water] the better. I absolutely love it. It's slightly to the point where William is like, 'like, 'You're crazy'. It's dark, and it's raining, and I seek out the cold water."
However, it seems as if Prince William has changed his stance on cold swimming since the interview a couple of years ago, as he recently shared that he's taken to it.
On Tuesday, 25 November, he went on a beach walk in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, with members of the Marine Conservation Society's Youth Ocean Network, speaking to the Colwyn Bay Blue Tits, a cold water swimming group, on the way.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesIn conversation with swimmers Chrissy Bolton, Georgia Daniels and Midge Owen Smith, he explained that "you always feel great" after a cold water dip.
"I love it," Prince William said to them, continuing: "I do a lot of yelling and screaming when I get in." The gasping is a natural physiological response caused by cold water shock, which is the body's immediate, reflexive reaction to being suddenly immersed in water colder than 15 degrees Celsius It's always good to keep an open mind in case you have a change of heart!
The benefits of cold water swimming
Cold water and open water swimming have become incredibly popular pastimes again, with nearly 7 million people in England now partaking, according to statistics from Swimming.org.
Most importantly, however, there are many known health benefits to cold water swimming that date back to the 2000s: in 2004, a study was published in Int J Circumpolar Health, which found that there were some psychological benefits to cold water swimming.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe research saw that tension, fatigue, and negative moods all reduced in the swimmers, while they felt themselves to be "more energetic, active and brisk" after four months.
Moreover, all of the swimmers who suffered from rheumatism, fibromyalgia, or asthma reported that the winter swimming had relieved their pains. Perhaps it's the health perks that made Prince William change his mind!
