Prince William Has a Wild Day As He Rides a Tandem Bike in Latest Outing
As Prince William hopped onto a tandem bike for a charity run, he lightened the mood with a few quips to keep the spirits high.
While Prince William is expected to remain stoic and formal in public, he has occasionally bent the royal rules to inject a dose of fun and whimsy. He did just that during a surprise solo outing with radio host Greg James on March 17. As the Prince hopped onto a tandem bike to keep James company during his charity run, he pulled his leg with a few playful quips to keep the spirits high for a good cause. He also praised the host for taking on the tough challenge, cheering him on with his signature wit and charm.
BBC Radio 1 host James, who's currently five days into his 1000km eight-day trek from Weymouth to Edinburgh, set to end on March 20, is raising money for charity. His historic challenge is being streamed live on Radio 1's YouTube channel. In a surprising move, he was joined by the Prince of Wales yesterday, who hopped on the backseat of his bike for a 30-minute ride through the South Yorkshire countryside. In an Instagram post shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales' account, James is seen greeting a group of children, then pointing behind them, shouting, "Hi Guys, it's Prince William!" To which, the future king joked, "It's a lookalike!"
Soon after, when James realized that the children may not have noticed William seated behind him, he joked, "They don't believe it." William then quipped, "They just think you've lost it. He's hallucinating!" Turning his head slightly towards the Prince, the host asked whether he was having a nice time, to which William responded, "I'm having a great time. I think you're in control." The Prince of Wales previously shared that he loved riding motorbikes in his youth, but had to quit the hobby because it left Kate Middleton 'terrified.'
To appreciate James for his efforts in addressing homelessness and mental health, William showered some words of praise and encouraged others to learn from him. As reported by PEOPLE, he said, "What you've done is set an example about helping out…It's volunteering some of your time, putting yourself through a bit of pain at the same time, and supporting others." He continued, "It's something we do very well in this country…This challenge helps everyone see that. And it's an amazing team effort."
James also expressed his gratefulness to William for joining him on his historic run for a good cause. He gushed, "I'd joked when I recorded a recent radio show with him [William] that he was very welcome to turn up and do a stint on the tandem, but I didn't think he'd actually call my bluff. I can't believe the impact of this daft challenge so far, and it's just beyond my wildest dreams that I'd get trusted to carry the future king..." He then jokingly added that William didn't really need to "jump on and stare at my back for 40 mins, but I'm so grateful that he did."
