Princess Kate gives a thumbs up during her visit© KIN CHEUNG

Princess Kate delights fans as she teams up with top athlete on surprise visit

The Princess of Wales is famously sporty – and competitive!

Online Digital News Director
Updated: May 16, 2023

Princess Kate has arrived in Bath for a surprise charity visit.

The 41-year-old looked sporty and chic in white trousers, a white T-shirt and white trainers teamed with a bright sunshine yellow blazer, as she arrived at the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust shortly after 12.30pm.

Mum-of-three Kate was clearly in high spirits throughout the visit, and was visibly delighted to see Dame Kelly, a double Olympic Champion, waiting to welcome her. 

See her arrival in the video below...

Princess Kate looks sporty and chic on surprise visit

The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust is a youth development charity founded on the belief that every young person needs a champion.

The organisation puts world class athletes shoulder to shoulder with young people to pass on their winning mindset and provide coaching and mentoring, helping those who are facing adversity to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in education, work and life.

© WPA Pool

Princess Kate visits the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust in Bath

During her visit, the Princess spent time with students from St Katherine's School in Bristol who are taking part in the On Track To Achieve programme, delivered by their athlete mentor, Paralympic gold medallist Liz Johnson.

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© WPA Pool

The royal quickly got stuck in!

Her Royal Highness heard from the pupils about their personal experiences and some of the challenges that young people face today, and how working with an athlete mentor has supported them to better express their emotions, build resilience, and promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

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© WPA Pool

Kate speaks to the Trust's founder, Dame Kelly Holmes

Dame Kelly Holmes, the charity’s President and Founder, also spoke about her own experiences and how they inspired her to set up the charity in 2008.

Princess Kate is famously sporty – and competitive! She and her husband often display their competitive streaks during public engagements, from their dragon boat race back in 2011 to running against each other at a London Marathon training session in 2017.

© Max Mumby/Indigo

Princess Kate is famously sporty - and competitive!

But there is one field in which Prince William can never get the upper hand.

Former number one Rod Laver previously told the Daily Mail's Sebastian Shakespeare: "I'd met William and Kate a few times, and in the Royal Box you get a chance to chat with them a little bit. They play tennis against each other. William told me he couldn't beat her."

© WPA Pool

The royal was in high spirits during Tuesday's visit to Bath

Princess Kate was joined by a guest on Tuesday’s visit - documentary maker and mental health advocate, Zara McDermott, who is one of the Shaping Us campaign champions.

Kate’s Shaping Us campaign aims to raise public awareness of the crucial importance of the first five years of a child’s life, during which time our brains develop faster than any other time of our lives.

© KIN CHEUNG

Kate met with some of the young people that the charity supports

Our experiences, relationships, and surroundings at that very young age, lay the foundations for the rest of our lives which is why building a supportive nurturing world around children and their carers is so important.

© KIN CHEUNG

The Princess proved to be a big hit at the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust in Bath

But not everyone has positive experiences during this time and crucially it is never too late to make a difference. Adolescence is another period of significant development, and a person’s teenage years represents another key time during which the right support can create lasting positive change.

© WPA Pool

Dame Kelly was on hand to give the Princess a tour of the facility

Supporting young people to be able to learn how to express, understand and manage emotions, as well as responding to others’ feelings and needs, can help to build meaningful and lasting relationships, and develop self-confidence to cope with life’s challenges.

The Princess looked beautiful in sunshine yellow

© WPA Pool

Zara McDermott joined Princess Kate and Dame Kelly

© WPA Pool

A close-up of the Princess on Tuesday

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