The Duchess of Cambridge is quite sporty and athletic. She always has been, even in her school days. These days, she loves walking/hiking, swimming and tennis. I suspect she also does yoga and she probably does some kind of light-weight-training too, but hiking, swimming and tennis are the activities we know about for sure. In fact, the whole Middleton family is into tennis. They’re quite friendly with Roger Federer (Carole is in love with him) and William and Kate used someone’s “private funds” to relocate their tennis court at Anmer Hall. Now it looks like Kate is quite keen to improve her tennis skills – she’s taking tennis lessons at a private club.
While Kate Middleton works on her ace serve, her three kids are working on their tennis skills as well! The royal mom and Prince William have been seen taking tennis lessons at the exclusive Hurlingham club in Fulham, south London — and sometimes, the whole family comes along. The kids — Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1 — have been on the playground outside, having fun while their parents hit balls. Even when Kate was pregnant with Louis, she still found time for some lessons.
“It wasn’t hard-going tennis — they weren’t rushing around. They are obviously choosing to improve their tennis,” a source at the club told PEOPLE. “She hits the ball with nice top spin. She is a good minor athlete.”
Kate and William, both 37, have also been seen having lunch at the club with their two older children — without their nanny. The source said George and Charlotte “looked perky and alert. It was a normal family of four. They were enjoying the sport and some lovely, natural family time.”
Prince George is also getting into the sport! On Wimbledon Morning Coffee, a show released on the famed tennis tournament’s Twitter page to recap the previous day’s events, the hosts chatted about Kate Middleton‘s outing to watch a few matches this past summer. The royal mom of three sat with British tennis player Katie Boulter and retired British star athlete Anne Keothavong, who told the host that talk turned to George’s interest in the sport. Kate reportedly shared that Prince George’s favorite player is Roger Federer — and the little royal has even played tennis with the sports star!
I mean… I don’t begrudge Kate her tennis lessons. I do think it’s odd that she barely pieces together two events a week and yet she finds that she has enough free time for tennis lessons at a posh club. Maybe this is part of the deal that William and Kate struck though – he gets to trim rose bushes and she gets to take “tennis lessons” at a posh club. I would be very interested in seeing her tennis instructor. Basically, the Cambridge marriage is fine, because they both have their posh little “escapes.” Also: this is the same club where William works out with the yummy mummies, correct? Hm.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red and Backgrid.
“She is a good minor athlete.”
The shaaaaade. No one does shade like posh Londoners.
I know right – she’ll need some cream for that burn.
Yeah it’s perfection. To be honest though I’d be a minor athlete too so now I’ll think of myself that way.
That black outfit always leaves me in awe.. She has no body fat at all.
She is so skinny! I hate her (just kidding)!
Please, can we not?
Omg! She’s so skinny!
That top looks great on her!
It really does.
Why not having any body fat is so amazing?
Good question Rhys.
If she wasn’t thin she wouldn’t be getting the passes for the laziness at her royal duties as she currently does.
I would imagine it’s fairly easy to achieve if you have nothing else to focus on in a day.
She’s got the best personal trainer OUR money can buy.
LOL!
Right? They live off taxpayers. I hate it when people make it sound like she brings income and spends money from her entrepreneurial skills. (the biggest ever eyeroll).
She looks like Emma from The Mod Squad. I know in person she looks borderline emaciated, but in that pic she looks amazing.
I think you mean Emma from The Avengers. That was Diana Rigg, AKA Olenna Tyrell from Game of Thrones. Peggy Lipton, AKA Norma Jennings from Twin Peaks, was in The Mod Squad.
Man, I wish there was an Olenna Tyrell in the BRF. It might have been Margaret, but she never talked.
I think she has an eating disorder. She is much thinner than she was years ago (pre-marriage), and her posture has gotten progressively worse over the years. I’ve seen this happen in real life. My friend ended up dying from it (not the eating disorder itself, from cancer — but her body was in such bad shape from the eating disorder that the doctors couldn’t treat her cancer properly).
Kate is UNNATURALLY thin, if you look at earlier pictures of what her “natural” frame used to be. Praising women for being unnaturally thin is toxic.
This. To me she looks frail. I know there are women who have this body type naturally and so I don’t use the word “frail” lightly and wouldn’t use it to describe anyone who I just saw on the street, but we saw Kate before. We know what her body used to look like, and then how she’s gotten thinner and thinner and thinner. I’m not much a fan of her, but watching someone disappear due to emotional pressure is slo mo horrifying.
She is built like Paula Radcliff. Would you call her frail?
I agree. I played a lot of sports too so I get the lanky thin body type but she doesn’t look healthy right now. Maybe it’s the kids and Will’s affair but she seems off. She looked good at the 2012 London Olympics – strong and athletic. She and Will were flirty in the stands and she seemed happy and playful.
and she’s not dressed for tennis either. did you see her shoes??? this whole photo is a stunt!
I know! her tennis outfit is so bizzare
I noticed the shoes, too. You beat me to it.
What is the real context of the all-black, skin-tight outfit that she is wearing with wedges? (or some kind of thick heal)? That’s not a tennis outfit. I will say, she looks pretty good in that outfit. I covet a black turtleneck sweater that fits as nicely as that. I would prefer it with her knee high boots she wears sometimes, but I tend to like higher boots over booties–I can’t wear them! I think they look weird on me 🙁
I’m also jealous about the tennis lessons. I recently looked for some for myself locally, and could not find. So much for my new tennis obsession
It was some sort of sporting event with kids. She was wearing a blazer over it but took it off for the tennis. I just went back to see if I could find the post about it but couldn’t.
We have a local community center that does group lessons for adults-very affordable (and fun.)
Re: the heels. There was a British study about women wearing high heels, and the study showed that it can cause permanent damage to your body like the achilles tendon, so that when the women try to switch back to flat shoes, it causes physical pain. So it’s possible that Kate is unable to wear flat shoes without pain.
Well now we know what she is doing with her time, at least, lol.
I actually just went back and checked, William works out at the Harbour Club apparently with the mums for his Zumba classes.
This is not new ‘news’ she has always made time for her workouts/athletic pursuits which is clearly the priority over her ‘work’.
Its pretty obvious her day is filled with time with the kids, workouts, personal grooming, shopping and whatever other leisure activities she enjoys. It might included some time ‘planning’ her sparse work calendar or have the odd ‘private’ meeting but she is pretty much leading the life she aspired to have – that of a yummy mummy who doesn’t need or want to have a career of any sort.
I think she and Will both want the life of the idle rich. They say they want normal lives, but they don’t want the kind of normal that includes a daily job. They want a normal life of an aristocrat with plenty of money and few to no responsibilities.
The thing is most aristos don’t even have that anymore- they have to work hard to make the estates make money (event planning etc). What they each want is to be married to a terribly wealthy James – the model of a life of leisure only works when one’s spouse is good at making money – however, neither wants to go out and work
DING DING DING!
@jen – you are absolutely right. They like their lifestyle with the jewelry, multiple houses, designer clothes, etc – they don’t want to work for it. (and I know we can have a debate about whether any royal “works” but they don’t even want to do that.)
The line about them having lunch with the kids was so laughable to me – it mentioned how they were just a normal family. A normal super wealthy family, maybe. My gym doesn’t have a restaurant or a years long waiting list, lol.
This. It’s always been part of the deal with them. They want a very nice lifestyle with AMPLE leisure time and some light ‘duties’. Basically the kind of lifestyle Carole Middleton aspired to- Mustique, skiing, tennis clubs, expensive grooming, shopping. Kate probably looks at her sister and thinks wow I’ve got to work so much harder than her, what a keen sacrifice I’m making for England.
Yeah and they’re only “without the nanny” at lunch because the nanny is off taking care of their third child! This article seems to forget they are a family of 5 not 4….
Just reminded me of William encouraging his hard-working father to slow down a bit in the Charles at 70 doc…clever fellow! Already laying the seeds, ‘don’t expect all that from me!’
So true, right now Kate is living her best thinnest life. To her work is secondary and her and William are determined to keep it that way.
All the posh moms at my kids’ school play tennis at a club together. It seems so retro to me.
I’ve noticed here in the southeast of the USA that the whole “tennis mom” thing is still very much a thing–it’s what all the wealthy wives (both young and old) do in my city.
While we all can see she must be diligent about staying thin, having something confirmed like weekly tennis lessons when she can’t do engagements on a weekly basis is a very bad look. The entire point of the stay at home mom stuff was so that she had a reason for the low engagement numbers. But if she can dedicate some time away from the kids for tennis, she should be doing the same for her patronages and other work.
Lets not forget the nugget about how they with George and Charlotte had lunch once – its begs the question of who was looking after Louis and their childcare setup. After all if they can have child care for Louis with they are having a nice lunch then am sure they could have easily organised child care for the Tusk trust event that had been planned in advance.
Especially when you consider the line about how George and Charlotte play on the playground during their lessons. Presumably with the nanny?
Absolutely! The two older kiddies are at school, so she wouldn’t be seeing or looking after them, so doesn’t need to worry about them during school hours. What a life. She’s a layabout, just like her husband. William+Zumba = 😂😂😂
I agree. I’m not scolding her for staying fit or having private lessons (I would do it myself if I had money) but if she can make time for her hobbies and the like, surely she can make time for her patronages? Or her Broken Britain/Early Years project
After releasing this article about Kate as an idle rich housewife, tomorrow they’ll release a “work” related article to eclipse this one.
“he gets to trim rose bushes“ asdghjkjgds I SCREAMED.
I have read this story before, or it seems I have. Kate has a nice spin top and is working to be better in tennis.
As indicated above, she doesn’t just take tennis lessons as she engages in many other activities as well. There is also no doubt a trainer, pilates instructor, swimming instructor, etc. so why single out tennis? I guess all of these activities explain how she keeps so busy she can only do minimal royal “work”.
It’s hard to locate tennis lessons which are good AND affordable. I grew up learning at our local ‘posh’ athletic club. It was only when I was in varsity, at meets, that I saw various stages of court up or unkeep. Many times, post hurricanes, we had to practice at this particular public park where the courts were gravel with chainlink fencing for nets lol! In the past 15 years, I haven’t been able to find a place to play and take refresher lessons without spending a fortune, so I daydream about having my own six to eight court private cabana surround tennis spa with spectacular night lighting. Lmao. I can practically smell the ambience. Fresh fusion waters with a selection of global teas and coffees. A variety of micro brews and wine. Neverending courtside coolers. Local art decor. The hubs and the boys hosting open mic nights for local music talent. I certainly wouldn’t mind playing at night surrounded with music and happy people. 😆 Heavy sigh.
From your lips to God’s ears my dear. 🙂
I’m a SAHM of three – just like Kate! – but wait… I don’t have funds sufficient to belong to a club/YMCA, let alone a posh one, let alone fancy private lessons, let alone the childcare to allow to me to do so without trying to bring along enough toys to distract the younger ones so I could have my lesson, let alone be able to sit and have a nice quiet lunch with my spouse. I guess they’re not just like us after all.
You know, it was one thing when in the 80s Chuck and Di obviously led a life of fabulous privilege but they did their clucking jobs, as it were. Until things went totally south for them, they were at their events, they were fulfilling their half of the tenuous bargain. Willy and Kate? Barely even make the attempt. Their contempt for the world is astonishing.
The Duchess of Keen wants to improve her tennis. What a vital indispensable skill for a future Queen Consort. Such a valuable use of her time. She could be doing so much more with her role and there are others who’d make the most of it. Kate has never really wanted to do anything for others and many have said that she lacks empathy for other people.
Well she is patron of Wimbledon so she’s gotta keep up appearances for that.
That and to make use of the new $100,000 tennis court at Anmer.
Will she be Keeping Up Appearances by serving with hand painted Royal Doulton china? 😉😁 (sorry! couldn’t resist…I loved that show!)
Does her sister’s husband Bruce (Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews TM), drive a top of the range Mercedes?
Looked it up. He used to drive a Mercedes, but may have traded it for a Land Rover after they had their son. LOL
@NOTA – I’ll bet he got a royal discount too. Just like the rest of her family when it comes to car and range rovers.
I wonder the last time that family paid full price for anything.
I don’t see it as any different from the queen or Anne with their horse hobbies.
Anne does 500 public engagements a year and the Queen does about 300 engagements and she’s in her 90s so there is actually a huge difference because they don’t have a hobby at the expense of the Royal work. Kate absolutely does.
I would like some private tennis lessons. lucky kate. I wouldn’t want to be married to william, but apart from that…the kids, the money, tennis…awesome living.
I don’t understand the purpose of this release. Is it to let us know how posh and leisurely her life is? Or is it to throw shade? I think it must be the latter. Because why rub it in their subjects’ faces. They better walk the kids for Christmas (sing for their supper) or else the press is going to spill some tea.
I don’t know, Royalblue, I think People – like the Fail – is pretty Kate-friendly. They could have gone on, ad nauseum about how she fills her day with other “self-care” activities (hair, pilates, lunch dates) but they focussed on tennis. They also mention the kids being around while she plays and having lunch with them (no mention of the team of nannies). I think it’s a positive spin (ok, a fairytale) – fit & healthy and a committed mum.
Got it. Promotion of the wholesome family image. Mum and dad enjoying sports together and lunching while the well behaved kids play. So more presentation of the Windsors as the ideal future kind and queen consort with adorable kids. Barf.
Yeah, I think it was supposed to be about how wholesome and healthy Kate is and how she and William and the kids spend their downtime.
It ends up coming off fairly tone deaf, kind of like the article about William working out after the school drop off. Normal working parents don’t have that kind of excessive free time, nor do they have the means to get into a club like that (I read somewhere it has a 10 year waiting list?)
Reads like they’re trying hard to promote the ‘Kate and William are so perfect together after all these years, taking couple’s tennis lessons, lunching while the kids are seen-to by nannies’ angle. Rose who?
Its actually not that posh in the rougher end of Fulham (I used to live in the next street) but its large with lots of indoor tennis courts.
I just looked it up….it looks pretty nice to me? It said it was on 42 acres? Apparently the waiting list is full lol.
Princess Diana really put the place on the map. Its nice but not as “posh” as inferred in the article. Ive been in there. What impresses you is the space and amount of courts.
And the gorgeous Georgian building, lol.
It is most definitely posh even if the surrounding area isn’t as much. It has always had royals with membership there starting with Edward VII in his Prince of Wales days.
Not a Georgian building. Its a new build.
Georgian is an architectural style. I’m aware the club didn’t exist until the mid 19th century.
There is early Georgian architecture and late Georgian which ended in the mid 19th century and produced a wide range of buildings, you can of course have newer builds in the Georgian style.
If her “work” Royal events numbers were closer to Anne’s no one would give a shit if she took tennis lessons or underwater basket weaving lessons or ultimate fighting lessons. It’s the lack of “work” that rankles.
Yes!
If she had Anne’s numbers she wouldn’t have as much time to take all those lessons/do all the sports/fitness activities.
raising 3 children is work….or is it not? Oh its just unpaid work.
@sukharik26 No one disputes that being a hands on parent is hard. People dispute that that’s how she spends her time.
I am a mother and a waitress, I’d love to spend days at tennis lessons or reading books or whatever, but my off times I am too exhausted.
“….he gets to trim rose bushes” – BRAVO
Roger Federer is good friends with Gavin Rossdale. I wonder if Gavin has met Kate? Lol
In that black outfit, she looks unhealthy. I am not shaming here, but as I have a current friend with anorexia, I must say the elephant in the room is never talked about and I feel complicit in not showing my concern for my friend. It is a touchy subject.
It truly is touchy. Anyone on here who has even mentioned that she looks a tad too thin gets reamed. I’m not afraid to say that she looked a lot healthier in her university days and post-pregnancy. It seems that this current weight is where she feels most comfortable. I believe that having some extra weight in the face makes people look younger.
I think that’s why she hasn’t worked more these last 8 years. And while she is suffering, it’s also a way of feeling in control and cared for by her her controlling mother, husband and husband’s family. I know it’s a very dark thing to say and I want to be wrong. I had a friend who behaved that way and sometimes Kate’s combination of fragility and competitiveness and Cool Girl strength reminds me of her.
Pardon me….
Do the Royal family have access to A DECENT PUBLIC RELATIONS OUTFIT?!?!
Seriously…during THIS time period…with EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THAT FAMILY…the optics of this…looks RIDICULOUS!!!!
It would have worked as a contrast to tabloid created drama around the Sussexes. Look how good things are with the Cambridges unlike the Sussexes. Without being able to throw them under the bus, the Cambridges revert to looking out of touch and self-absorbed.
I like Kate, so no malice intended but that all black outfit looks like something the Cat Burglar would wear to tennis the morning after a long night of breaking into museums.
LOL! I didn’t like the all black look, but I said above she wore a blazer with it (I didn’t like the look once she took the blazer off, the pants/shoes looked like they were one piece to me.)
(and ha! finally found the post.)
https://www.celebitchy.com/598024/duchess_kate_wore_a_smart_smythe_blazer_for_a_trip_to_essex_today/
Yes, this outfit was from her 2018 Essex outing – a children’s school, I think. I remember the outfit and thinking “it’s a good thing she isn’t actually exerting a lot of energy because the pants are rather tight.” I know, it’s petty. But this isn’t an example of her tennis lessons at all. She is working visiting children in this photo. In fact, the DM compared her donning a blazer with Meghan – though trying to imply Meghan was cosplaying Kate. Pshaw!
Another one of the directors of the W&K foundation has left. That’s two in four months.
They’ve realized these feckless do-nothings are never going to have any worthwhile projects.
That darn Harry and Meghan!
If William didn’t have a foundation, he wouldn’t need to show results for it. Shot himself in the foot with that one. He should have dissolved it entirely once the Sussexes left. Too busy with the family and preparing to be PoW.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what the Cambridges eventually end up doing.
Will and Kate have been losing a lot of employees in general over the past 4-5 months. Heggessey, Harley, Agnew, Quinn, and now Monson.
I’m glad she’s found time in her busy work schedule to focus on herself.
A life of leisure with occasional charity “work” as hobby. wow…….what an aimless life with all that education
For as long as we keep comparing women to another, undermining them, throwing them under the bus without the slightest of considerations of what it does to them, we are losing. Why all this shade? So what? Ok she works out at a posh club. I have 1 child and I am busy beyond belief and she has 3. Why can’t she be busy raising them? That is a lot of work, tremendous amount of emotional labour as well. I do believe she’s involved and very hands on. This work isn’t paid neither is it publicity, but it is work. Just because Megan is trying to win at this game by attracting more funds to charities doesn’t mean she’s the winner here. You just pin them against one another and make one into a villain and one into a saint. As a mother, I say this isn’t right or fair to anyone.
LOL, you whine about comparing women and then place a bunch of your own bitter assumptions/projections on Meghan and claim she’s trying to “win at this game”. Try practicing what you preach.
Oh, and by the way, there’s at least TWO full time nannies for the Cambridges and Kate has been documented doing tons of leisurely activities over the years, to the extent that it seems to make up the majority of her daily life. The mother excuse gets quite tired when we have years of reference for what her (and William’s) lifestyle is like.
Kate has PARTICIPATED in throwing Meghan under the bus. And it’s weird that you begin your comment by saying we shouldn’t compare the two and then say Meghan is trying to WIN by working more.
I say it isn’t right for her to claim she cannot work more because of the children, while she happily leaves the kids with taxpayer-funded nannies so she can work – on her tennis game.
No one even brought up Meghan in the comments until this post. Anne was mentioned and so was the Queen. This massive insecurity that happens when Kate stans can’t justify her laziness as compared to all the other royals turns into a “stop comparing them it’s bad for all women” gaslighting whine.
Kate has time for tennis lessons but not for her patronages or engagements. She’s just selfish and lazy and nine years on she’s still being defended. Women should not be protected for being lazy. That’s not a good look for any woman much less one who has a ton of privilege and a platform to help many.
Uhm I like that she’s sporty and I’m known as her supporter but she can’t do any work yet she openly tries to be better at tennis. I’m like wow, you’re a royal not your sister Pippa.
Is that what she wears to play tennis???
Well, she does have a lot of free time.