The Surprising Hobby Kate Middleton Loves (and Prince William Barely Tolerates)

In the last couple years, polar plunging has gone viral. And, it seems, not even the royals are immune. During a recent visit to Wales, Prince William confided that the Princess of Wales loves a good cold water swim—and that he's slowly coming around to see the benefits, too.

The heir to the British throne met members of the Colwyn Bay Blue Tits, a cold-water swimming group. Previously, Princess Catherine had shared on in-law Mike Tindall's podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, that she enjoyed the activity.

"Cold swimming—the colder, the better," she said. "I absolutely love it. Slightly to the point where William's [saying], 'You're crazy' and it's dark and it's raining."

Two years later, it seems that Prince William has changed his tune. Per The Daily Mail, he shared with swimmers Chrissy Bolton, Georgia Daniels and Midge Owen Smith that he's done some cold plunges in Scotland saying, "I love it. I do a lot of yelling and screaming when I get in. You feel great afterwards."

The real reason for his trip to North Wales was a meeting with the Marine Conservation Society, an organization that's worked for over 40 years to protect the Welsh seafront. This was the Prince's first visit to Colwyn Bay.

"This is a concept that highlights our influence on the ocean and its influence on us," the Prince shared in an Instagram post. "Hugely encouraging to see that positive social change is being powered by collective action. Connecting communities with the ocean, and driving sustainable choices for healthier seas."

In an accompanying video, Prince William walks on the beach with members of the organization and meets the local community while taking selfies and chatting. He also met with the Youth Ocean Network, which he called "a passionate group of young people driving change and shaping the future of ocean conservation."

With all his work on the Earthshot Prize, it's no surprise to see the Prince of Wales investing time into his local community's conservation initiatives. Here's to more climate action—and cold water swims.