Prince William Recalls 'Giggling' With His Cousins During Church Services: It Was 'Difficult To Keep A Straight Face At Times'
Dec. 6 2021, Published 10:14 a.m. ET
Being a part of the royal family has its moments! Prince William took royal fanatics behind-the-scenes of his childhood when he walked through the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk for Apple Fitness+'s Time to Walk series, in which the 39-year-old is encouraging others to walk and move their bodies to improve their mental health.
"My family spend their Christmases in Norfolk at Sandringham, which is in the U.K. Walking along here, you've got big pine trees that are quite synonymous with this part of Norfolk. And I love the smell of pine in the winter. It's very soothing," he began. "As we're walking along here, it's been a walk that my family have done for many, many years on the way to church on Christmas Day. It must be at least 25 years by now."
The dad-of-three pointed out that his grandfather, Prince Philip, who died in April at 99 years old, was an important part of his childhood.
"I have strong memories of walking down here, and my grandfather, he used to walk so fast that there'd be huge gaps and spaces between all of us walking down, and there'd be us at the back with little legs trying to keep up. You know, I think, over time, you start to feel quite attached to those moments and those memories before."
As he reached St. Mary Magdalene Church, he spoke about what it was like to have his cousins — Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and more — around when he was younger, especially when they would attend Christmas services together.
"And what's very good about it is that we sit opposite each other as a family, and growing up, having my cousins sat opposite me has always been quite difficult to keep a straight face at times. I have had the giggles many, many times in the service," he said of the pews facing each other. "Luckily, no one's filming it. So you can get away with it, and on Christmas Day, it's fun to have a giggle and enjoy yourself."
On Friday, December 3, William announced his latest venture. "Walking has been a feature of my life during the good times and the bad, come rain or shine. For me, it provides an opportunity to clear my mind and gain some perspective," he wrote via Instagram. "It’s a key part of how I manage my mental health. It can be a very sociable exercise or a moment of complete calm and isolation.In the hope of inspiring a few other people to get active and take some extra time for their own mental health – I wanted to share a few of my stories and favourite songs with you in an episode of Time to Walk."
