A newly released picture of the Princess of Wales shows Kate Middleton enjoying her lesser-known passion, beekeeping.
The mother-of-three, 41, fully embraced the World Bee Day efforts, wearing a beekeeping suit while tending a busy beehive in the grounds of her Norfolk home.
The image, taken by Matt Porteous, the royal photographer behind the official family photos of Prince William and Kate, shows the princess lifting part of the hive to collect honey.
She grins from the beekeeper’s helmet and looks at the group of honey bees crowding around the board.
The photo was posted on Instagram by Kensington Royal to mark World Bee Day.
The mother-of-three, 41, fully welcomed the efforts to mark World Bee Day and wore a beekeeping suit while tending a beehive in Windsor
The royals also shared video of several beehives in Windsor Great Park for World Bee Day
The image, taken by Matt Porteous, the royal photographer behind the official family photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton, shows Kate lifting part of the hive to collect honey
The caption reads: “We rave about World Bee Day.”
“Bees are an important part of our ecosystem and today is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the critical role bees and other pollinators play in the health of people and the planet.”
Beekeeping is one of the Princess of Wales’ lesser-known talents and one she shares with her brother James Middleton.
She has been spotted handing out jars of honey from her garden during royal visits.
The Princess of Wales opened the Eurovision Song Contest with a piano performance in a touching tribute to Ukraine
During a visit to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, in 2021, the princess revealed she also has bees at her residence in Norfolk.
During her visit she brought back a jar of honey from the Norfolk Garden and gave it to children at St Mary of the Angels Primary School in London.
She said, “Would you like to try something?” She asked. “I have a spoonful of each.” That came extra from my beehive.
“See if it tastes the same as it does at home.” Does it taste like store-bought honey? Does it taste like flowers?’
The Princess of Wales makes a surprise appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest, opening the final in Liverpool with a touching tribute to Ukraine on the piano.
Elsewhere, Buckingham Palace beekeepers were pictured hard at work
The Queen is also a keen beekeeper and keeps bees at Raymill, her six-bedroom retreat in Lacock, Wiltshire, 17 miles from the King’s home at Highgrove
Kate played the piano alongside last year’s Ukrainian winners, the Kalush Orchestra, in a stunning opening sequence for the grand finale, which was shown to an estimated 160 million audiences worldwide.
Elsewhere, Buckingham Palace beekeepers were photographed hard at work today.
Queen Camilla is also a keen beekeeper and keeps bees at Raymill, her six-bedroom retreat in Lacock, Wiltshire, 17 miles from the King’s home at Highgrove.
During a visit to Launceston, Cornwall last summer, Camilla met honey producers selling jars in the town square and told them she was a practical beekeeper and only lost a colony last winter.
The honey produced by Camilla’s bees is sold at Fortnum & Mason to raise funds for charity
The honey produced by Camilla’s bees is sold at Fortnum & Mason to raise funds for charity. This year’s recipient is Nigeria’s first sexual assault referral center to support the Queen as patron.
She is also President of Bees for Development, a charity that trains beekeepers and protects bee habitats in more than 50 countries.
Buckingham Palace houses four beehives on an island in a lake in the garden and two beehives in the garden of Clarence House.
The hives produced more than 300 jars of honey for the palace kitchens last year, which was often served in honey madeleines, as a filling for chocolate truffles or in honey and cream sponge cake.