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Kate Middleton wasn't very happy about Prince William's visit to Isle of Man - here's why

The Duchess of Cambridge was not amused

Content Managing Editor
January 5, 2019

With less than a week to go before the Duchess of Cambridge celebrates her 37th birthday, we take a look back at one of her highlights from last year. In June, the royal was left unimpressed when Prince William was on a visit to the Isle of Man, where he admitted that Kate was a bit sceptical about his trip. William, who has a life-long love for motorbikes, was able to indulge his passion at the Isle of Man TT Races, an annual motorcycle race – but his wife may not have been so impressed.

"When I said I was going to the Isle of Man for an official visit she said, 'Really?'" William confessed during a chat with Laurence Skelly, the Isle of Man government's minister for enterprise. The annual motorsport event features riders competing in nine races around the circuit, which is almost 38 miles long and renowned for its difficulty and danger. Two competitors have been killed during this year's event.

© Photo: PA

Prince William has a life-long love for motorbikes

Kate has previously spoken of her "horror" every time William gets on his bike. 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, a three-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte and a six-week-old baby Prince Louis with her husband, added: "I'm terrified. Hopefully, I'm going to keep George off it."

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Take a look back at Prince William and Kate's big day...

But last November, William did reveal that he no longer takes his motorbike out for a spin as much as he used to, because of his growing family. The Prince spoke to triple World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea, as Mr Rea was made an MBE at a Buckingham Palace. "I know he's a bit of a motorcycle fan himself," the racer said after the investiture 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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Along with his brother Prince Harry, William 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.

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