Six times the Princess of Wales proved she’s a sports queen

From climbing rock walls to playing ping pong in heels and even shooting a bow and arrow, Kate has proven time and time again how much she loves sports.

She's always been athletic and at school she was a star hockey player. Later, at university, she was often spotted rowing with her then-boyfriend Prince William.

Today, the 41-year-old mom-of-three is a patron of various sporting bodies and is an outspoken advocate of the importance of sport.

"I love the way it so often brings people together to work as part of a team,” she said in her role as patron of SportsAid at their 40^th anniversary dinner in 2016.

Of course, Kate being Kate, she always manages to look effortlessly stylish, even while she's working up a sweat.

Tennis

Kate showed off her natural tennis skills against Roger Federer at Wimbledon while highlighting the work of the ball boys and girls. (PHOTO: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Earlier this week Kate looked every inch the court goddess when she met world champion Roger Federer (41) to highlight the work of the ball boys and girls ahead of next month's Wimbledon Championships.

For their game on the Number 3 court Kate chose to wear some of Wimbledon's branded sportswear including the £52 (R1 200) Core Performance Sleeveless Polo made of recycled bottles.

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She paired it with white skorts from Stella McCartney's previous collaboration with Adidas, which cost £50 (R1 150) and a pair of trainers from Wimbledon's Jet Mach collaboration.

Kate, who comes from a family of ardent tennis fans, has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club since 2016 and is a pretty skilled player herself.

Rugby

Kate proved to be fearless in the line-out as she joined in an England rugby training session. (PHOTO: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

She didn’t flinch when she took part in an England rugby training session after becoming a patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) at Twickenham Stadium in February last year.

Kate visited the club to discuss her Shaping Us campaign which highlights the importance of early childhood activity and the role the community plays in supporting children and parents.

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While Kate is Patron of the RFU, Prince William is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

The game is apparently a favourite in their household with their kids.

Abseiling

Proof she is afraid of nothing, Kate took part in a mountain rescue team abseiling training exercise in Wales earlier this year. (PHOTO: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

In April the princess took part in a mountain rescue team abseiling training exercise in Wales.

She and William visited the country to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue and to meet members of local communities.

Sailing

All hands on deck! Kate joined the GB team on a catamaran in July 2022 in a friendly Commonwealth race against New Zealand. (PHOTO: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Kate slipped into a wetsuit and hopped onboard a catamaran in a friendly Commonwealth race between Great Britain and New Zealand around the south coast of England in July last year. 

Ping pong

Yup, only Kate could pull off a game of competitive ping-pong against hubby Prince William in a frock and heels! (PHOTO: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Thanks to her natural tennis talent Kate is also a brilliant ping pong player and took on her husband during a visit to a community centre in Cornwall in February this year.

Archery

She has proven to have a keen eye for archery. (PHOTO: Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Move over Katniss! The royal has proved several times that she's a dab hand with a bow and arrow. Here she is seen showing off her skills at a visit to The Way Youth Zone in May 2021, in Wolverhampton, England.

SOURCES: DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, PEOPLE.COM