Just like their Gan-Gan! Kate Middleton and Prince William ’s children have reportedly inherited Queen Elizabeth ’s love for horseback riding. According to The Times, Prince George , Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have become “avid riders in recent months,” and have been practicing at their home in Norfolk.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are said to be “keen for their children to learn to ride, with the proviso that they should take a ‘hands-on’ approach, helping with the grooming and mucking-out.”
Per the outlet, Queen Elizabeth is “understood to be taking a close interest in her great-grandchildren’s progress in the saddle.” The Times reports that George, seven, Charlotte, five, and Louis, two, are expected to join Her Majesty, 94, for rides at Windsor and Balmoral this summer once the Covid lockdown eases. Horses are listed as one of the Queen’s “greatest passions” on the royal family’s website.
Kate has spoken about her daughter’s passion for horses in the past. In 2016, paralympic equestrian Natasha Baker recalled a conversation with the Duchess saying (via The Mirror), “[Kate] emphasised that Charlotte has this passion about horses and although she doesn’t echo it, she’ll do her best to champion and encourage it.”
Meanwhile, HOLA! USA’s sister brand HELLO! reported in 2018 that Prince George was taking riding lessons at Windsor and practicing with a pony belonging to Prince William’s cousin Zara Tindall . “William and Kate were really keen to get George riding – it’s something all the royals do and the whole family adore animals,” a source told HELLO! at the time. “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.”