Prince William has put his motorbike days behind him for his children

Prince William has revealed that he no longer takes his motorbike out for a spin as much as he used to, because of his growing family. The Prince, whose wife Kate is expecting their third child, discussed his love of motorcycles with triple World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea, as Mr Rea was made an MBE at a Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony on Tuesday. "I know he's a bit of a motorcycle fan himself," the racer told PA after the ceremony. "We talked about his bikes and the fact that he has put it on the back-burner a little bit because of his children now."

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"He has put it on the back-burner a little bit because of his children now," said Mr Rea

Along with his brother Prince Harry, William, 35, has been a keen biker from a young age. He passed his test on his first attempt aged 19, having practised on a red Kawasaki 125cc bike on Prince Charles' Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire. William has also owned a powerful 1199cc Ducati, worth an estimated £15,000. In 2008, he and Harry took part in an arduous motorcycle rally across Africa to raise money for a variety of charities including Sentebale, which Harry co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.

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William has been mad about bikes from a young age

"I don't know what it is about bikes, but I've always had a passion for motorbikes ever since I was very small," William once said. "I used to do a lot of go-karting when I was younger and then after that I went on to quadbikes and eventually motorbikes." He added: "It does help being anonymous with my motorcycle helmet on because it does enable me to relax. But I just enjoy everything about motorbikes and the camaraderie that comes with it."

William's wife Kate has previously said she is "filled with horror" every time her husband takes his motorbike for a spin. During a visit to Dundee, Scotland in 2015, the Duchess told a well-wisher: "He's still riding it. It always fills me with horror when he goes out on it‎!" Kate, who has a four-year-old son Prince George and a two-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte with her husband, added: "I'm terrified. Hopefully, I'm going to keep George off it."