The Duke of Sussex showed off an unexpected daredevil talent on Thursday when he was filmed riding a large wave.
Prince Harry, 40, who has recently visited Africa with his wife, Meghan Markle, was trying out his surfing skills at the Surf Ranch wave pool in Lemoore, California. A video emerged of the father-of-two donning a wetsuit on the Instagram account of 'surfing king' and coach Raimana van Bastolaer.
Captioning the post, Raimana wrote: "In Tahiti, we still call you Prince Harry, but at Surfranch, it’s my brother. It was an honour to have you surf with me & @kellyslater @michaelanders_ at @kswaveco @toddglaser @austinsurfclubtx @firewiresurfboards @outerknown."
The surfing coach can be heard coaching Harry through his impressive session, and he isn't the first member of the royal family to try his hand at the sport.
© Pool/Tim Graham Picture LibraryThe clip impressed fans, who took to the comments section with messages for the Duke and the surfing legend.
"The king @raimanaworld and Prince Harry," one follower commented. "Super to see Prince Harry having fun! Love it! Legend @raimanaworld," another added.
Prince William has also been known to enjoy a spot of surfing and was pictured in his wetsuit with his friends at St Andrew's in Scotland in 2004.
© Hulton ArchiveThe Princes' father, King Charles, is known to have enjoyed windsurfing in his younger years. In Australia in 1977, he made headlines after taking to the sea at Bondi Beach.
In 1978, the then Prince of Wales was patron of the former British Surfing Association and invited the national surfing team to meet him at Buckingham Palace before flying to South Africa to compete in the World Amateur Championships.
The royal family's association with the sport doesn't stop there. The late Prince of Wales, Prince Edward, was taught to surf in 1920 by Olympic gold medallist Duke Kahanamoku.
According to Ocean Magic, when Surfers Against Sewage marked its 30th anniversary in 2020, the Prince of Wales looked back on his own surfing experiences while signing a specially commissioned wooden surfboard. He praised the organisation’s work and modestly told the gathering he had “tried to do a bit of surfing” himself but was “rather unsuccessful.”
The publication also reported that in 1947, Queen Elizabeth, then Princess Elizabeth, aged 21, and her sister Princess Margaret, aged 17, tried their hand at surfing during an official royal visit to South Africa.
The two princesses were reportedly introduced to the sport by cabinet minister Harry Lawrence and his wife, Jean.
