Prince William And Other Royals Have Been Keeping Special Talents From The Public For Years

We all know that Meghan Markle can act, but she has other talents that often go unappreciated. A skilled writer, she penned the best-selling children's book The Bench which started out as a poem she wrote for Prince Harry. And speaking of writing, she is also an adept calligrapher.

Though Charles once described his musical aptitude as "hopeless," he's clearly being too modest. Cello is his main instrument, and as a younger man, he was good enough to earn a spot in the Trinity College Orchestra. The King also dabbles in trumpet and piano.

Here's one princess who can go the distance. In 2010, Beatrice became the first royal to compete in the London Marathon, and she didn't make it easy on herself either. Not only was she wearing a tutu, but she was also tied to 33 other teammate runners with a rope. That couldn't have been an easy 26.2 miles.

It's typical for some of the Windsors to appear at Wimbledon every year, but Camilla prefers a much smaller tennis setting. She has a real knack for ping-pong, and anytime she visits a school or sports facility that has a table, the Queen Consort is bound to challenge anyone willing to pick up a paddle.

Harry's time with the Army Air Corps in Afghanistan was way more intense than you might think. His training pushed him to the limit and also turned him into an ace pilot. He's a qualified helicopter commander, and the Prince feels right at home in the cockpit of an Apache.

This royal legend was graceful both on land and in the water. Before she became a beloved princess, Diana stood out as an impressive diver in school. Her coaches even coined the term "the Spencer Special" to describe her immaculate, splash-free dives.

While she didn't have many chances to practice her fixing skills once she took the throne, the Queen was surprisingly handy with a wrench! During World War II, the then-princess joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, which trained her as a mechanic and truck driver.

Kate is a natural athlete, and sailing might just be her favorite sport. She loves being out on the water, which really brings out her competitive side. Kate has raced against her husband on a number of occasions, though during a 2019 regatta, she got a bit embarrassed when her crew slipped up and came in dead last. You can't win them all.

The British royal family isn't the only talented group of nobles out there. Prince Albert II of Monaco, son of Hollywood legend Grace Kelly, made a name for himself as an elite bobsledder. He's appeared in five Winter Olympics, though he was never able to snag a medal. Still in great shape these days, Albert also got his black belt in judo.

Who doesn't like a nice cookout? The late Prince Philip reportedly worked wonders behind the old grill, even impressing the pros. Queen Elizabeth's former chef Darren McGrady called Philip "the chef in the family" who loved to prepare big meals when the Windsors were on holiday at one of their many fine estates.

A cousin of the late Queen, Lady Gabriella might not be the most well-known royal, but she is among the most talented. She's written and recorded two singles called “Out of Blue” and “Bam Bam” and wowed music fans all over the world with her impressive set of pipes.

Queen Elizabeth was one of the most photographed people in history, but she was equally comfortable on the other side of the lens. As a young girl, her father, King George VI, gifted her a camera, and that's when she first started taking snapshots of her family. Her private photo albums must be a treasure trove of memories.

George is a little man on the move. Bursting with energy, George has a blast in dance classes, particularly in ballet. Hopefully, those lessons tire him out a bit, because his parents sure have a hard time chasing him around.

Members of the royal family seem to spend half their lives in the saddle, but there's no finer rider than Zara Tindall, the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II. She emerged as one of the stars of the British Equestrian team, even winning a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics!

Here's a bizarre birthday present. When she turned 40, Meghan Markle took to the internet to launch a women's mentorship project called 40x40. To build up a little fanfare (and to make his wife laugh) Harry made a cameo outside her office window, juggling balls and sporting some cool shades! However, there is a rival juggler in the family...

William has a few tricks up his sleeve too, and it's likely that the brothers learned the art of juggling together as boys. During a visit to the Galway Community Circus in 2020, William delighted everyone by picking up a few balls and tossing them about like a born performer. And that's far from his only surprising skill.

Many royal fanatics know that King Charles is a gifted painter, but he may have some competition from the younger generation. Princess Eugenie (left), his niece, revealed on her Instagram that she has been painting for years, and her followers were seriously impressed by her creations.

Kate is right at home in her garden, and she cares for something far more dangerous than your average plant. The Princess of Wales has taken to beekeeping, which she revealed in dramatic fashion in 2021 at the Natural History Museum in London. It turned out that she brought a container of homemade honey to the event, and she offered students in attendance a taste of the sweet stuff.

Put this man in the next Fast and the Furious movie! William has a major need for speed, and his tricked-out Ducati is among his prize possessions. However, Kate isn't the biggest fan of her husband's hobby, and she often reminds him to drive safely.

The Windsors are often hopping between countries, so it's important that they have a firm handle on foreign languages. Even at a young age, Charlotte has impressed her teachers with an advanced Spanish vocabulary. Who knows what language she'll learn next?

As a part of his Caribbean tour, Prince Harry went to Lover's Beach on the island of Nevis to learn about turtle conservation. Here he is alongside project volunteers, heavily focused on cradling the tiny turtle resting in his hands!

Queen Elizabeth was a powerful figure, but don't think for a minute that she lacked a sense of humor. As this snapshot depicted, she was often known as the life of the party, cracking hilarious jokes that Kate just adored. She was apparently great at impressions and voices too.

Diana did a lot of important humanitarian work throughout her life. This photograph shows her in Angola, walking through a cleared minefield in protective gear. Diana was a fierce campaigner against the use of landmines, and even today she’s remembered for the hard and dangerous work that she put in.

Kate must have learned a lot at the screening of David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive 3D — after all, she made this face at the show. Either that, or she was just told she left her car's lights on.

Appearances are everything to the Royal family, and here it appears that Prince William is making a buffoon out of himself. While he's really just warming up for a polo match, the photographer managed to make the situation look a little strange — and hilarious.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are heirs, parents, fashion icons — and apparently also huge nerds. While visiting the Warner Brothers Studios Tour London in 2013, William and Kate picked up a pair of Harry Potter wands and enthusiastically mimed dueling with them. William’s spell of choice? “Expelliarmus.” The man knows his Harry Potter, and that’s all a future king needs.

Meghan Markle is a dog lover. This picture shows her with her pet beagle: Guy. Guy was a rescue doggie from Ontario, and Meghan adopted him via the organization A Dog’s Dream Rescue. Now that Meghan is a duchess, Guy truly is living a dog’s dream.

It’s traditional for British schools to have a Sports Day every year, and the parents are encouraged to join in. Even though Diana was a royal family member, she threw decorum to the wind and joined in the Mother’s Race, with no shoes on to boot. She didn’t win, but she’s a winner in our hearts.

In June 2016 princes William and Harry visited the set of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. They got to meet all the major stars, including Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Mark Hamill. Even more exciting was that they both got to film cameos for the film, hidden under Stormtrooper armor – but they got cut from the final movie.

There are many photographs of times when Queen Elizabeth was caught pulling silly faces. If you had been followed all around by cameras for your entire life, that's pretty much inevitable. But this one, taken at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2019 where the Queen’s horses competed, might take the prize as the best one ever.