kate middleton michael© Photo: Getty Images

Kate Middleton completed this tough challenge with dad Michael before she became a royal

The Middletons are a sporty family!

Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
August 5, 2021

The Duchess of Cambridge comes from a very sporty family, with her younger siblings, Pippa and James Middleton, both having taken on various challenges over the years.

And did you know that Kate and her father, Michael Middleton, took on a tough climb before she became a royal?

In a blog post for athletic shoe company, Hoka One One, in March, Pippa spoke about her fitness regime and the challenges she's accomplished so far, including climbing Mont Blanc with her brother James in 2008.

READ: Pippa Middleton's running kit revealed and it's seriously stylish

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The mum-of-two wrote: "One day, my dream would be to participate in a sporting challenge or epic adventure with my own children, like I was lucky enough to experience as a child.

"My parents inspired my love for walking in the mountains and both joined me and my brother to the first hut when we climbed Mont Blanc (my father summited it with my sister a few years before).

"It would give me great comfort for my children to find the joy, rewards and experience the journeys I have enjoyed through running, sport and fitness."

It's not known exactly when Kate summited Mont Blanc with Michael, but it would have been before her marriage to Prince William in 2011, if she completed the climb a few years before Pippa and James.

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MORE: 19 fabulous photos of Kate Middleton you may have forgotten about

© Photo: Getty Images

The Cambridges on their family ski trip in 2016

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising 4,808.7m above sea level. Guided hikes to the summit typically can take between two and seven days, depending on the route and itinerary.

Kate is also a keen skier and her romance with William was confirmed when she was pictured in the Swiss ski resort of Klosters with the Prince in 2004.  

In 2016, the Cambridges took their eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, on their first skiing holiday to Courchevel in the French Alps.

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