Princess Katherine has always expressed her love for the outdoors, and during a visit to Ponto Pri in South Wales on Wednesday, she shared an unexpected new hobby that has captivated both her and her children.
While touring the Meadow Street community garden and woodland with Prince William, she learned about the site's restoration efforts following the devastating floods of 2024. During her conversation with young volunteers, she revealed that she has recently taken up foraging in Norfolk alongside her three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Her children were particularly fascinated by a large puffball mushroom she discovered near their home, a find that left them thoroughly impressed. Foraging, which involves searching for and collecting edible plants, fruits, nuts, seeds, and fungi from the wild, has clearly sparked their curiosity. It seems Princess Katherine may have inherited some inspiration from King Charles III, who has a well-documented passion for mushroom foraging. In August 2011, the King embarked on a solo foraging trip, and significantly, he was engaged in the same activity on September 8, 2022, when he received the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. He had just returned to Balmoral from gathering mushrooms on the Birkhall estate when he learned of his mother's death.
Katherine has long emphasized the benefits of spending time in nature and shares a deep appreciation for outdoor activities with her husband and children. In 2020, she appeared on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, where host Giovanna Fletcher asked her to complete the sentence, "I'm happy when..." Without hesitation, she responded, "I'm with my family outside in the countryside, and we're all filthy dirty." Prince William has echoed similar sentiments about their children, particularly Prince George, whom he described as needing time outdoors to thrive. In the ITV documentary Prince William: A Planet for Us All, the future king spoke about his son's love for nature, saying, "Seeing my children, seeing the passion in their eyes and the love for being outdoors… They find a bug, and they love watching how bees make honey. George, particularly, if he’s not outdoors, he's like a caged animal—he needs to get outside."
Kate has often been photographed enjoying nature, and during her health journey last year, she shared moments of herself in the woodlands and on the beach in Norfolk. Just weeks after announcing her remission from cancer, Kensington Palace released a poignant photograph taken by Prince Louis, showing her standing with her arms outstretched in a serene winter forest. Accompanying the image was a touching message she shared to mark World Cancer Day: "Don’t forget to nurture all that which lies beyond the disease."
