The Prince and Princess of Wales will be given the chance to have a go at curling on an away day to Scotland next week.
William and Kate will travel to Stirling to meet the Team GB and Paralympics GB curling squads ahead of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The sport, in which teams take turns to slide granite stones across the ice towards a target while brushing the surface to guide direction, originated in Scotland in the 16th century.
The Waleses, whose Scottish titles are the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, will visit the National Curling Academy in the city on Tuesday.
The women’s team won the first Team GB Olympic curling gold for 20 years in Beijing 2022.
Scottish curler and defending champion Jennifer Dodds is among those heading to the rinks in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy when the Olympics begin next month, while the men’s curling team, led by Bruce Mouat, is at the top of the world rankings.
The seven-strong ParalympicsGB wheelchair curling squad includes Jo Butterfield, who won club throw gold at Rio 2016 before switching from para athletics to wheelchair curling in 2023.
William and Kate’s visit to Stirling aims to “shine a spotlight on unique Scottish heritage traditions and how they are continuing to connect communities and inspire new generations”, Kensington Palace said.
The couple’s trip takes them hundreds of miles away from home during the week in which the Duke of Sussex is set to be in London for his High Court trial against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
🚨🏴World Wheelchair Team Announcement🚨
— British Curling (@BritishCurling) February 12, 2025
“We shouldn’t need any extra motivation, but competing at a Worlds in Scotland, will give us all an edge,” @shug9 on Scotland's selection for World Wheelchair Champs in Stevenston.
▶️https://t.co/8Dt4xMV8vX
📸PPA/Graeme Hart#curling pic.twitter.com/3GIfRjnRfn
The prince and princess will also visit Radical Weavers, a handweaving studio and independent charity in Stirling.
It was set up in 2019 to help tackle social isolation and support people affected by trauma and loss by offering them the chance to learn traditional Scottish tartan-weaving skills.
William and Kate will meet founder Mairi Breslin, learn about the therapeutic benefits of weaving tartan, and attempt the skill themselves.
The princess has promoted the British textiles industry on recent visits, including one to a silk mill in Sudbury, Suffolk.
