Prince George discovers passion for new hobby after overcoming 'freak out'

Prince William revealed the news about his son during a visit to Birtley Community Pool in Gateshead on Thursday, where he met with Olympic and Paralympic swimmers.

"Catherine and I both adore swimming," William shared.

"George loves scuba diving. He's 10 years old. We took him under thinking he would freak out. He absolutely loves it."

The young prince's interest in underwater exploration comes as no surprise, given his parents' well-documented passion for swimming.

The royal couple have been spotted enjoying water sports during official tours, including diving at Belize's barrier reef in 2022.

The Prince of Wales's visit to the community pool was part of an effort to promote swimming accessibility across the UK.

During his visit, Prince William also explained why he missed the Paris 2024 Olympics, citing concerns about COVID-19 and his wife's health.

"I was so keen to come but, I have to say, after reading someone's interview about Covid I decided, because my wife was obviously having chemo, that I didn't want to risk bringing Covid home," William told Adam Peaty and Tom Dean.

Despite his absence from the event, the prince assured the athletes that his family remained engaged with the Games.

"We watched the whole thing. We were glued to it every day," he added.

The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales announced a new partnership with Birtley Community Pool to support swimming activities for thousands.

The initiative aims to address a concerning statistic: nearly one in three children in the UK leave primary education unable to swim.

"We want to replicate this across the country because swimming is such an important part of life," William stated.

"We're an island nation, we should all have access to learn how to swim."

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The partnership will benefit over 16,000 people, including 6,500 children and young people by providing monthly swimming activities.

William toured the centre, observing swimming lessons and lifeguard training.

He learned how the community rallied to reopen the pool after its closure in July 2023 due to financial constraints.

The Royal Foundation's Community Impact Programme has partly funded the refurbishment and established bursaries for young people to access facilities and train as lifeguards.