Prince William reveals personal reason why he missed Paris 2024 Olympics
The Prince of Wales has shared the reason why he did not go to the Paris 2024 Olympics back in the summer.
Prince William, 42, was missing from the stands at the major sporting event, with his aunts, the Princess Royal and the Duchess of Edinburgh being the only British royals to travel to the French capital for the Games.
Speaking to British Olympians Adam Peaty and Tom Dean and Paralympians Maisie Summer-Newton and Louise Fiddes during a visit to Birtley Community Pool in Tyne and Wear, the Prince was asked by Tom: "Did you manage to get out [to Paris]?"
William replied: "No I was so keen to come but I have to say after reading someone's interview about Covid [looking at Adam Peaty - who tested positive during the games] I decided, because my wife was obviously having chemo, that I didn't want to risk bringing Covid home, so Adam very kindly reminded me that that was still a thing! But we watched the whole thing. We were glued to it every day."
The royal couple later released a video message congratulating the athletes on their triumphs at the Olympics, alongside David Beckham and Snoop Dogg.
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William added: "Catherine and I both adore swimming. George loves scuba diving. He was ten years old, we took him under, thinking he'd freak out, but he absolutely loved it. It's just introduced him to the world of water."
Kate openly shared her love of cold water swimming when she appeared on Mike Tindall's podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby in 2023.
Kensington Palace also shared footage of William and Kate diving at Belize's beautiful barrier reef during their royal tour of the Caribbean in 2022.
William's trip to the community pool in the northeast of England on Thursday was to highlight the importance of access to swimming.
Although swimming is a vital life skill and the only sport that can save lives, almost one in three children in the UK currently leave primary education unable to swim.
The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales announced a new partnership with the Birtley Community Pool, which will support over 16,000 people, including 6,500 children and young people, to take part in swimming activities every month.
