Primary school students at Northmead Junior School in Guildford have received a surprise reply from Kensington Palace in response to a letter they sent to the Prince and Princess of Wales' eldest son, Prince George.
The letter, sent by the Head of Royal Correspondence on behalf of William and Kate, gave a rare insight into their son's hobbies and interests outside of school.
"The Prince and Princess of Wales would have me thank you for your lovely letter to their son, Prince George," the message to students began.
"It was interesting to learn a little about the NEST centre and your generous thought for Prince George was greatly appreciated.
© Northmead Junior School"To answer your questions, Prince George enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and participating in a variety of sports including football, tennis and horse-riding."
It comes as no surprise that the 11-year-old royal is a fan of the outdoors, given the fact the Prince and Princess of Wales relocated from London to Windsor in 2022 to give their children a more rural upbringing away from the urban city.
In 2019, during a meeting with local farmers, Prince William said: "My children are already playing on the tractors... it's so important to get outside, and have the children understand nature."
He added at the time that he wished he'd brought his then six-year-old son, Prince George, to visit the farm with him: "He would be absolutely loving this. He's obsessed!"
Prince George's enjoyment for football, tennis and horse-riding have also been touched on in the past by his parents…
Prince George's football obsession
© Ryan Browne/REX/ShutterstockJust like his father, Prince George is an avid Aston Villa fan, and can occasionally be seen cheering on his team and country from the sidelines when he's allowed to join his dad William at matches.
In December, the young royal had his taste of royal football tradition as he joined his dad for the annual festive kickabout on the Sandringham estate.
The pre-Christmas match, a highlight for estate workers and neighbouring villagers, saw the father-son duo take to the pitch together for the first time, with Kate cheering from the sidelines.
Prince George's Wimbledon-worthy tennis lessons
© GettyThe future King shares his mother's love for tennis, and even received private tennis lessons from one of the world's most decorated Grand Slam stars, Roger Federer.
© GettyThe legendary eight-time Wimbledon champion confirmed that he had been to the home of Prince George's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, to meet the young prince. And he said that the "cute" youngster had a good tennis technique after they played together.
Roger, who attended Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton’s wedding in May 2017, described Prince George as a "cute boy", and said he hoped he would maintain his enthusiasm for the sport as he grows up.
Prince George's horse riding skills
Horse riding is a longstanding tradition in the royal family, with the late Queen Elizabeth II having a lifelong passion for equestrianism, riding well into her 90s. When George was just four years old, a source exclusively told HELLO! that George had been practising on a Shetland pony that belongs to his father Prince William's cousin, Zara Tindall, who is a talented equestrian herself.
They said: "William and Kate were really keen to get George riding – it's something all the royals do and the whole family adore animals. But obviously he's only small so they didn't want to put him on a big horse. They asked Zara if they could use one of her Shetland ponies and he's been learning to ride on one of those."
