Queen Camilla and King Charles celebrate 20 years of marriage this year, and one of the things that keeps them so strong is a variety of shared hobbies.
In a recent interview, Camilla’s son Tom Parker-Bowles revealed the King and Queen have a joint love of walking, noting: “My mother loves walking, the King loves walking too,” and on top of that, both of the royal couple enjoy health retreats, frequently traveling to India to reset.
However, there is one hobby that seriously divides our monarch and his wife – and it sets Queen Camilla apart from Prince William, Princess Kate and Duchess Sophie, too.
© Getty ImagesIn the same interview in The Times, Tom Parker-Bowles revealed his mother “hates” skiing – a hobby the other royals revel in.
“My mother hated skiing, so she’d send us up the mountain with a guide while she sat and read her book. She’d come up in the ski lift to meet us for lunch,” Tom revealed.
This is in stark contrast to King Charles, and his children and siblings, who all adore skiing and are known for taking to the mountains whenever possible.
Camilla’s sisters-in-law, Sarah Ferguson and Duchess Sophie, partners of King Charles’ brothers Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, even took jobs on the slopes in their youth, with Duchess Sarah working as a chalet maid and Sophie doing a season as a ski rep.
© Julian ParkerDuchess Sarah was often seen skiing with Princess Diana too, who was a keen skier despite not being as competent as her husband. Watch the throwback clip below to see Sarah and Diana’s silliness on the slopes bemuse King Charles.
While the majority of the royals are ski bunnies, Queen Camilla’s avoidance of the sport is shared with Meghan Markle – though the Duchess of Sussex has not claimed to hate skiing, Prince Harry wrote in Spare that the snow sport was something he cherished with his ex, Cressida Bonas.
In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry revealed that he and Cressida, whom he dated for two years, had a shared love of skiing, going so far as to call the activity “sacred” and “symbolic”.
© Getty“Skiing was so sacred for us, so symbolic, especially after our previous skiing holiday, in Switzerland, when she’d miraculously opened me up,” Harry wrote.
Though the Duke of Sussex loved skiing with Cressida, he added that the pair split during a ski holiday, writing: “At some point during that ski trip I’d realised that we weren’t a match,” Harry said. “How odd, I thought. Every time we go skiing… a revelation.”
READ: 5 memorable royal skiing accidents: Sophie Wessex, Princess Diana and more
Despite his love of snow sports, Prince Harry has never been known to ski with Meghan Markle, even though the couple has visited snowy locations.
© Getty ImagesPerhaps Meghan and Camilla could enjoy apres ski together while the other royals take to the mountains…
