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By James Crawford-Smith
Royal Reporter
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Since Princess Kate married into the royal family in 2011, the public has been given relatively little insight into her relationships with her husband's family, though rare exceptions have been made in recent years.
One member of the royal family who the princess shares a number of links with is Queen Camilla.
In 2022, the then-Duchess of Cornwall's relationship with her stepdaughter-in-law was highlighted when she asked Kate to take her photograph for the cover of a special guest edited edition of the British magazine, Country Life.
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Not only is Camilla currently in a position that Kate will one day fill—that of Queen Consort—but the pair also share interests in art and literature, as well as a favorite milliner (Philip Treacy) and an unexpected hobby—cold water swimming.
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Kate has become known as one of the royal family's sportier members, being not only a fan of rugby (she is patron of England's Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union) but also tennis, sailing, cycling, field hockey and, as she confirmed in 2023, swimming too.
Both Camilla and Kate have expressed their love for the cold water exercise on camera, with Camilla revealing that her interest began in her childhood.
"I love swimming, and I love English sea," she told the documentary Camilla's Country Life in 2022, a one-off special that followed the then-duchess as she guest edited her magazine issue to mark her 75th birthday.
"I don't mind the cold, I think we were so used to it when we were children that it just doesn't bother me after the initial, you know, horror of stepping in and gasping you feel so much better when you come out," she said. "It's a lovely feeling, you feel completely invigorated."
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When asked if she brings a swimming costume on her travels around the country, the future queen offered a wry smile, saying: "I try, not that I can swim in many places."
A year later, Kate revealed her love for the hobby, when appearing with Prince William and Princess Anne on a special episode of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast.
"I love swimming wherever I can—cold swimming—the colder the better," she told show host, Mike Tindall, a former England rugby union player who is married to William's cousin, Zara Tindall.
"I absolutely love it. Slightly to the point where William's like 'Catherine, you're crazy and its dark and its raining.' I'll go and seek out cold water."
Reflecting on her love for the cold, however, the princess said she's not quite at the point of taking the cold water plunges that are part of some athletes' training regimens.
"I love it," she said. "[But] I wouldn't want to be put through my paces with a freezing sub-zero ice bath."
It is not known whether Kate and the queen have combined their hobbies during their stays at the royal family's Sandringham home in Norfolk, England, which is close to the coast.
The princess has so far this year stepped mostly out of the public eye while she has experienced health challenges, announcing earlier this month that she had completed her course of preventive chemotherapy treatment following a cancer diagnosis.
The king and queen reportedly said the princess' announcement was "wonderful news."
William and Kate were photographed on Sunday attending church with Charles and Camilla at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek*'s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on* Newsweek*'s The Royals Facebook page.*
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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