The Prince and Princess of Wales are ‘very competitive’ with one another as they both love sports, a royal photographer has said.
Samir Hussein, who has taken hundreds of photos of the royal family for over a decade including royal weddings and tours, said the couple have ‘competed a lot over the years’.
Speaking to US weekly, he explained: ‘They’re definitely very competitive. They’re both very sporty,’
‘They’ve competed many times over the years, be it boat races or even though even sprint races … and they’re always very competitive.’
He added: ‘It’s always fun when you see that because you can see humour come out and their competitive side come out.’
The Prince and Princess of Wales are ‘very competitive’ with one another as they both love sports, a royal photographer has said (pictured taking part in a race during a training day for the Heads Together team in 2017)
Samir, whose father Anwar Hussein is also a royal photographer, said his ‘stand out’ memory was during the royal tour to India and Bhutan in 2016.
‘William and Kate sort of tried their arm at some archery and they both looked great.
‘Kate was in traditional clothing and when it was her turn, I sort of moved around to move directly opposite where she was firing. She fired the arrow and for a second it looked like it was coming straight towards me’.
He added that he ran ‘out of the way’ but managed to pick up his camera ‘just in time’ to capture Kate ‘laughing her head off’.
The Prince and Princess of Wales opened up about their competitive reputation on Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad and the Rugby last year.
Kate and Prince William went head-to-head on exercise bikes during a visit to South Wales
The Princess of Wales was crowned victorious with a trophy despite wearing a skirt and heels
The couple were compared to the competitive sitcom character Monica Geller from Friends.
William, alongside an animated Kate and Princess Anne, joined former England rugby ace Mike Tindall, who is married to Zara, the Princess Royal’s daughter – and William’s first cousin.
‘I’m not going to lie…but Mike has made out both of you are super, super competitive, a bit like Monica from Friends, and if you guys play table tennis it will go on for hours and hours, and be like, double or quits,’ James Haskell asked.
‘I’m really not that competitive, I don’t know where this has come from,’ Kate replied.
She then joked that she and William have never managed to finish a game of tennis, giggling as she explained that ‘it becomes a mental challenge between the two of us’.
Samir, whose father Anwar Hussein is also a royal photographer, said his ‘stand out’ memory was during the royal tour to India and Bhutan in 2016
Samir explained that Kate was in traditional clothing and he moved around to move directly opposite where she was firing to get this shot
Mike then asked if the couple’s three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis are showing signs of competitiveness.
Princess Anne interjected to say: ‘Just a little bit, I would suggest.’
Kate revealed: ‘What’s interesting is that they all obviously [have] very different temperaments.
‘And as they’re growing and trying out different sports – they’re obviously still really young – it’s going be interesting to see how that grows and develops.’
Earlier in the podcast, William had spoken about how important sports are for children, especially when it comes to learning about winning and losing.
Talking about the skills you gain from ‘those early years of playing team sport’, he said: ‘Learning to lose, which I think we’ve got to concentrate more on nowadays.
William takes home the gold: William and Kate competed in hockey in Sweden in 2018
Kate, who was a keen hockey player at school, had a good stance but unluckily missed two out of her three shots
‘I think people don’t know how to lose well. Talking about our children particularly, I want to make sure they understand that.
‘I think it’s really important from a young age to understand how to lose, and why we lose, and to grow from it and what you learn from that process.
‘But also to win well, and not boast. There’s so many life lessons that help us all through life, in friendship building, in relationship building, workplace, that you gain from those early years of playing team sport.’
He also opened up about enjoying his cousin Zara’s sporting success, revealing that the only time he’s ever cried was when watching the now 42-year-old win the European championship in 2006.
William said: ‘I was down in Exmoor at the time camping. We were all huddling around the phone watching it. She was there she was blubbing away the flag was going up. I was in pieces.’
