Kate Middleton Plays Winter Sports In Sweden While Pregnant
Kate Middleton is expecting her third child with husband Prince William in April, but pregnancy has not slowed her down one bit. In fact, the royal couple just kicked off a four-day tour of Sweden and Norway. On Jan. 30, they visited an outdoor ice skating rink in Stockholm, where Middleton took the ice to try out bandy hockey, a popular winter sport in the country.
Watch Middleton take a shot in the video below:
The Duchess takes a shot at goal! 🏒#RoyalVisitSweden pic.twitter.com/FNjaZrlU6P
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 30, 2018
Middleton and Prince William had a penalty shootout, and he beat his wife 2-1.
The royal couple also met with a group of local bandy players to learn more about the sport and sampled some hot chocolate and non-alcoholic glogg, which is typically drunk while playing bandy. Everyone certainly looks like they had a great time:
Here’s Prince William trying his hand at the sport:
Bandy is similar to field hockey but it is played on the ice and a ball is used instead of a puck. Although this may be the first you’re hearing of it, according to a tweet from Kensington Palace, it dates back to 1813 and is popular throughout Scandinavia and Eastern Europe as well as the U.S.:
Dating back to 1813, the sport of bandy originated in Cambridgeshire, and has now become one of the most popular winter sports in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the US.
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) January 30, 2018
Their fun on the ice was just the beginning of a busy day for the royals. Later, the pair attended a luncheon at the Royal Palace of Stockholm with Sweden’s King Carl KVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel:
Following lunch, Middleton and Prince William were take to Stortorget, the city’s oldest public square and the Nobel Museum.
Next up was ArkDes, a national center for architecture and design. Lastly, they attended a black-tie dinner at the British ambassador’s house, where they also met “The Danish Girl” actress Alicia Vikander and actor Stellan Skarsgard (father of “Big Little Lies” star Aleksander Skarsgard).
The rest of their schedule for the trip sounds just as jam-packed as the first day. Prince George and Princess Charlotte are not accompanying their parents on this trip, which may be for the best as their itinerary seems quite demanding! Stay tuned for more updates on where they turn up next.