Despite freezing temperatures and rain showers, Princess Kate joined volunteers from UK-based charity Mind Over Mountains for a mountain walk to discuss the benefits of fresh air, nature, and the great outdoors to support mental health. Princess Kate shared her belief, now backed by science and research, that we all have an “innate desire to be outdoors.”
Mind Over Mountains shared a post on X, saying “yesterday we had the huge privilege to step out onto the hills with The Princess of Wales on a Mind Over Mountains wellbeing walk!” They boasted that the event was an “incredible opportunity to highlight links between nature and wellbeing—and how time outdoors connects us all.”
During a group activity, the Princess of Wales was asked for three words that summed up her experience on the mountain, and she responded, “mind, body, and soul.” This sentiment echoes her emotional statement when she shared she was receiving cancer treatment, where she shared she was “focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”
Princess Kate said her afternoon “wellbeing walk” made her realize “the world is so much bigger,” although people can “get so dragged into things.” What helps to bring clarity is “that connection with nature,” she told volunteers. “It's so valuable but sometimes we take it for granted.”
Princess Kate’s “wellbeing walks” are one of her many hobbies that she enjoys in the great outdoors. The princess is a poster girl for getting out into nature, with her favorite pastimes including these walks, beekeeping, gardening, sailing, dog walks, camping, bike riding, and wild swimming.
During an episode of Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad, & The Rugby, Princess Kate shared her love of outdoor swimming, telling listeners “the colder, the better.” She told the other guests on the episode, “I absolutely love it. Slightly to the point where William's saying 'You're crazy' and it's dark and it's raining.”
Alongside her personal hobbies, Princess Kate’s Mother Nature series spotlighted several outdoor hobbies, like wellbeing walks, bonfires, and spending time outside. The princess said the series was “a deeply personal, creative reflection on how nature has helped me heal.” Encouraging others to find the power and healing in nature, through activities like wellbeing walks, she shared “there is so much we can learn from mother nature, as we look to build a happier, healthier world.”
