Queen Camilla has revealed that, at 75, she has been forced to give up on her favourite hobby, a pastime enjoyed by many of the Royal Family, as she is now ‘too old’ to do it.
The Royal Family may be a very busy bunch, with The Firm's senior members at the top of the royal line of succession carrying out a range of important tasks from King Charles III opening up Parliament to Prince George learning vital skills before becoming King from his dad Prince William, but they always make sure to pencil in time for some fun.
The Royal Family are known for having some truly unique and exciting hobbies. Prince William recently showed off his secret hobby while on a solo royal engagement in Singapore and Princess Charlotte's exciting new hobby means mum Kate has been teaching her ‘how to shoot’ - though not in the way you'd think! Many of them share hobbies, including Prince William and Meghan Markle who both love an unexpected sport and its therapeutic benefits have been praised by many different royal family members.
But Queen Consort Camilla has, unfortunately, been forced to give up one of her favourite pastimes and it was a hobby that she shared with her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.
While on a state visit in Germany earlier this year, the Queen Consort admitted that she has stopped riding horses as she is now, at 75-years-old, 'too old' for it. The Express reports that she told royal fans, "I used to have horses I rode but sadly I don’t ride any longer. I think I’m too old."
But while she doesn't ride the animals anymore, she does still make time for them in other ways. As well as keeping 'race horses' for events, the Queen Consort also shared that she still keeps horses for fun and takes a keen interest in their wellbeing. She told the royal fans in Germany, "Last night I watched on my screen one of the foals being born, which was very exciting."
Her love of horse riding is one that Camilla shares with a number of Royal Family members, the most notable being Queen Elizabeth. The late monarch was well known to adore horses and was seen riding the animals, controversially without a helmet on, well into her 90s on various royal estates.
Upon Queen Elizabeth's death, Camilla took over the day-to-day running of the Queen's stables, according to a royal insider who spoke to The Express, as King Charles is not as interested in horses or the sport they offer as his wife.
The younger royals are also starting to fall in love with horse riding, carrying on the long-standing hobby that Queen Elizabeth began taking part in when she was only three-years-old!
In 2020, during the COVID lockdowns that shut down much of the UK, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and even the then-two-year-old Prince Louis were said to be practicing their horse riding skills while sheltering from the virus at their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall.
George was reportedly learning to ride on a Shetland pony that belonged to William’s cousin, renowned equestrian Zara Tindall. William and Kate, seeing their kids' keen interest in horses, then reportedly gifted the children their own ponies and tasked them with not only learning to ride, but to help with grooming the animals and also mucking them out.
But while George, Charlotte and Louis are growing up into keen equestrians like their great-grandmother, Kate Middleton is still not a huge fan of the animals. While there's some speculation that the public have never seen Kate on a horse because she's allergic to them, one royal biographer has claimed that her avoidance is horses is simply down to the fact that she never learnt to ride them.
"Kate doesn't ride, purely because didn't do it growing up," Marcia Moody, author of Kate: A Biography, told Town & Country. "William and Harry were taught from an early age, but the only time they ride now is for polo—they don't go off on hacks like the queen always has."
