Prince William continues to ride motorcycles despite Prince William’s wife Kate Middleton being “terrified” by the hobby, according to royal commentator Christopher Andersen. Andersen says Kate has tried to get him to stop, while pointing out the future king’s
When Kate Middleton looks at Prince William on a motorcycle, the fear is personal—and the disagreement has never been fully settled.
Christopher Andersen, author of “Kate!,” says Middleton has tried to get her husband to give up riding. He describes that pushback as something many couples might recognize: Andersen told Fox News Digital that “Kate’s inability to get her husband to give up an activity he loves is something most married couples can definitely relate to—whether it’s smoking. drinking. skydiving. whatever.”.
But William’s situation, Andersen says, is different because he is a future head of state. “So if he is injured or worse in a motorcycle accident, far more than just his family is impacted,” he added.
Andersen also points to a painful irony—William’s own family history. Andersen said it is “a little ironic that someone whose mother was killed in perhaps the most famous car crash in history would take what seem like unnecessary risks on the road.”
The same choice that terrifies Kate. Andersen suggests. is also the one that helps William cope with the pressure of being constantly recognized. “What has always appealed to the Prince of Wales the most about motorcycles is it enables him to maintain some degree of anonymity while at the same time bonding with other bikers. ” Andersen said.
That anonymity, he said, comes from the helmet. Andersen added that William has gotten a “tremendous kick” from pulling up alongside cars at intersections. then looking over at drivers while waiting for the light to change. “They have absolutely no idea that it’s me beneath the helmet, so they just behave naturally,” Andersen said William added. “It’s a great feeling for someone like me not being recognized.”.
The roots of the hobby go back further than the couple’s current headlines. Andersen said motorcycles date back to when Princess Diana had go-karts brought to Kensington Palace so William and Prince Harry could speed around the driveway.
Hilary Fordwich, a British royal expert, agreed that Middleton can influence her husband, but she can’t fully eliminate the passion. Fordwich said “while Princess Catherine has a lot of influence” she “hasn’t been able to squash her husband’s passion for his motorcycle.”
Instead, Fordwich described a kind of compromise many marriages reach—listening without full surrender. “Obviously. like many marriages Prince William listens to his wife and her loving concerns yet yielding fully is a bridge too far. rendering them even more relatable as a regular couple at least in this regard. ” she said. Given the role William plays. Fordwich said it’s hard to take the hobby away completely: “Given all he does for his nation it’s hard to begrudge him this private pleasure. It’s far less destructive than being a philanderer like so many of his predecessors.”.
Fordwich also tied the hobby to timing in William’s life, pointing to adulthood rather than scandal. “Don’t forget—William is 43, has been in the same relationship for 25 years, and if that doesn’t scream male midlife crisis, I don’t know what does,” Andersen said.
Even when the fear is acknowledged, the ride continues. Andersen said Kate’s concern dates to when William first became more visible with motorcycles: Andersen described that after watching William “tear across the countryside churning up dust” while his Royal Protection officers tried to keep up. Kate “begged William to be more careful.”.
And it wasn’t only Kate pushing for change. Andersen said Queen Elizabeth shared those concerns and asked Charles to persuade the grandson to give up motorcycles altogether.
The late queen’s own reaction, Andersen recalled, was direct. He said Elizabeth told a motorcyclist during a walkabout: “Prince William rides them and it frightens me.”
William, for his part, has also acknowledged the danger. Andersen quoted William saying, “Riding a motorcycle can be dangerous, but so can lots of things. My father is concerned that I’m into motorbikes but he doesn’t want to keep me wrapped up in cotton wool. So you might as well live if you’re going to live.”.
At one point, Andersen said Middleton appeared to make progress after William first became a father. “For a time after William first became a father, Middleton appeared to make some headway into getting him to stop riding,” Andersen said.
But Andersen argues William’s life already includes risk. and motorcycles became part of his need to confront danger on his own terms. Andersen said William was at the time an air ambulance pilot busy rescuing hikers stranded in the mountains and “plucking heart attack victims from offshore oil platforms.”.
He added that William’s broader exposure to harm on the roads—Andersen said one of his responsibilities was to transport people badly injured or killed in auto accidents to hospitals and morgues—should have been enough excitement. Still, the hobby held on.
Andersen says the helmet isn’t just protection; it’s also escape. “Hiding under a helmet” gives William a “sense of freedom,” he said, adding that for someone under constant pressure “It’s a form of escape, especially for someone who is so famous and under so much pressure 24–7.”
The motorcycles themselves matter too—not just as a hobby, but as proof the interest is real and long-standing. Andersen said William got two of the most powerful motorcycles at the time in 2006: a Yamaha R1 and a Honda CBR 1100XX Blackbird, which could reach speeds of more than 160 mph.
Andersen also framed the likelihood of change through family priorities. He said Middleton isn’t likely to tolerate any of her three children—Prince George, 12; Princess Charlotte, 11; and Prince Louis, 8—taking up motorcycles “any time soon.”
Even so, Andersen said she likely wouldn’t block other risky pursuits the family has embraced, specifically polo. “That said. I doubt very much if she would stand in the way of any of her children who wanted to play polo. another somewhat risky sport that the royal family has always embraced. ” he said.
What Middleton does for herself also sets the tone: Fordwich said the 44-year-old princess has her own hobbies, including cold water swimming, Padel, and scuba diving. Andersen said William joins her in these activities as well, though Fordwich described the cold-water habit as “bonkers.”
Fordwich also offered a lighter detail about what might actually trigger William—not motorcycles, but competition at home. “If he objects to anything. it is the way Kate and the rest of the Middletons play board games. ” he said. “Kate’s parents and siblings are highly competitive. and things get so heated he often excuses himself from the action to ‘go walk the dog.’”.
The contrast between private distraction and public duty is visible in William’s recent work too. Andersen said William toured Norfolk Blood Bikes, a charity that transports blood, breast milk and medical supplies to support the U.K.’s National Health Service.
In that visit. Andersen quoted William’s own stance on the hobby as something he still keeps in motion—but under control. “I love bikes. I do still ride now and again, quietly,” William said while looking at the bikes owned by the charity. Andersen added that the prince donated a bike to the charity last year.
So for Kate, the fear remains. For William, the ride remains part of who he is—helmeted, private, and difficult to fully shut down.
Prince William Kate Middleton motorcycles royal couple Christopher Andersen Hilary Fordwich helmet anonymity Norfolk Blood Bikes NHS