Royal Hobbies: Andrew’s Flight Tracking, William’s Surfing, Philip’s BBQ Mastery

The Royal Family enjoys a range of activities and hobbies in their spare time. Prince Harry is a keen skier, Princess Anne enjoys boating, and Prince Philip was partial to a BBQ. The Prince of Wales even used to enjoy tearing through the streets of London on his motorbike.

As the Mail’s Richard Kay revealed last week, secluded Prince Andrew has taken up a new venture: tracking planes. The Duke of York, who served as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War, is said to project a live flight tracker onto a large screen at Royal Lodge, his palatial home in Windsor.

During his time at the University of St Andrews, Prince William learned how to surf. He spent many happy days wearing a wetsuit and taking to the sea with his friends. William also had a passion for speed. He passed his full motorbike test in 2002 when he was 19.

The bikes he has owned include a £15,000 Ducati 1198s, which has a top speed of 180mph. In 2006, it was reported that the then 23-year-old prince was required to have minders with him when hitting the road on his 1100cc Honda Super Blackbird. The now King sent one of his own senior bodyguards, Ian McRae, to shadow his son.

For William, the ability to remain anonymous under a dark helmet and full leather body suit while out and about was reportedly one of the things that attracted him to the hobby.

Prince Harry joined William on rides and passed his test when he was around 23. The pair completed a 1,000-mile motorbike trek for charity across the South African wilderness – Enduro Africa – in 2008, riding Honda CRF 230s. Harry also enjoys skiing, a hobby that was nurtured by both his parents with trips to places including Austria and Switzerland when he was young.

He spent Valentine’s Day this year with his wife, Meghan Markle, on the slopes at a picturesque ski resort in Whistler, Canada. They went with a film crew to highlight next year’s Invictus Games, as it will be the first time the event will involve winter sports. Harry even tried his hand at sit-skiing.

The late Prince Philip became known for his legendary BBQs and enjoyed cooking for his family. Charles described how the late Duke ‘adored BBQ-ing’ in a video released by the BBC. Prince William spoke highly of his grandfather’s grilling skills and said: “Every BBQ that I’ve ever been on, the Duke of Edinburgh has been there cooking.”

“When we go on BBQs, there’s no chef, there’s not anyone else. He would be the first person to say when he started off he didn’t have a clue what he was doing, but such as the way that he is, he tackles a new challenge and grapples it and learns as he does it and he’s mastered it.”

The Princess Royal’s love for horse riding is well-known, but another hobby she enjoys is sailing. She became a patron of Royal Lymington Yacht Club in 1979 and has participated in several boating events over the years. In 1992, she sailed in the club’s annual regatta and has even reportedly kept her own yacht moored nearby.

Anne is also very passionate about lighthouses. She is patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board and in 2015 wrote the foreword to a book dedicated to the structures. She wrote of the ‘remoteness and exceptional natural beauty’ of the sites photographed by author Ian Cowe for his book Scottish and Manx Lighthouses.

Anne has visited several lighthouses around Scotland and the Isle of Man in her role as patron of the NLB.

The Princess of Wales is a keen sportswoman and is particularly passionate about tennis. In September 2021, Kate impressed US Open champion Emma Raducanu at an official ‘homecoming’ organized by the Lawn Tennis Association, which the princess is a patron of.

Kate played doubles with the tennis star and even earned a compliment from her. Raducanu said Kate’s forehand was ‘incredible’. She eagerly swung her Babolat racket wearing a Poivre Blanc top and skirt, as well as trainers designed by Roger Federer.

When she puts the racket down, the princess also enjoys playing the piano. Last year, Kate opened the final of Eurovision with a touching piano performance tribute to Ukraine. She played alongside 2021 winners the Kalush Orchestra in a stunning opening sequence for the grand final.

The performance was shown to an estimated worldwide audience of 160 million. Kate also played the piano at the 2021 Together at Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.

Queen Elizabeth II was for decades the patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association and also the National Flying Club. She owned 200 of the birds herself and was also responsible for the 100-strong collection of budgerigars at Windsor.

In having a passion for pigeons, the Queen was following in the footsteps of her father, King George VI, whose favourite bird, Royal blue, received the Dickin Medal for Gallantry in 1940.

The Royal Family began taking part in pigeon racing in 1886 when Queen Victoria was given racing pigeons by Belgium’s King Leopold II. There was also an aviary in the grounds of Royal Lodge. A photograph taken in 1940 shows the young Princess Elizabeth in the enclosure with several birds as her sister Margaret looked on with their mother, Queen Elizabeth.

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret also handled carrier pigeons when they served in the Girl Guides. In 2015, the Queen sanctioned a £40,000 renovation of the royal loft at Sandringham. The new residence included top-of-the-range nesting boxes for her pigeons.