In a quiet but memorable moment at Windsor Castle earlier this week, Prince William let slip a detail about his 10-year-old daughter that delighted the athletics world: Princess Charlotte has taken up running, more specifically, the 400m and hurdles.
The comment came as Prince William honored Olympic gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson with the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), recognizing her dominance in the 800 meters at the Paris Games and her broader impact on British sport.
While presenting the honor, William shared that Charlotte had been glued to the TV during Hodgkinson’s race and has since started running herself.
“The prince told me his daughter is doing the 400m at the minute and the hurdles and that she did watch me in Paris,” Hodgkinson told reporters afterward. “He told me that he remembers me winning and that he wished he could be there to see it himself.”
For many, the idea of a young royal chasing down the backstretch in track spikes seems unexpected but kind of delightful. But for those who’ve followed the royal family’s relationship with athletics, it’s less surprising than it sounds.
Running, it turns out, is something of a family tradition.
Queen Elizabeth II, at age 92, was the official starter of the 2018 London Marathon.
A year prior, William and Kate took on the same role and even manned a water station.
Princess Beatrice, ever the outlier, famously completed the London Marathon in 2010 while tethered to 33 other runners as part of a Guinness World Record-setting “human caterpillar.”
And in 2017, William, Kate, and Harry turned out to cheer for runners in support of their mental health initiative, Heads Together.
Charlotte, the only daughter of William and Kate, has reportedly shown a competitive spirit from an early age, dabbling in soccer, rugby, gymnastics, and now track.
The 400 meters and hurdles are physically and mentally demanding races, requiring not just speed, but rhythm, strength, and grit. If she sticks with it, they could very well shape her into a serious athlete. But right now, it’s also just a very relatable story of a child being inspired by something she saw on TV and going out to try it herself.
That’s exactly the kind of impact Hodgkinson, 23, hopes to have.
Since bursting onto the scene with a silver medal in Tokyo in 2021 and solidifying her place in history with gold in Paris last summer, she’s been vocal about wanting to “put athletics on the map” and encourage more young people, especially girls, to take up sport.
“One of my goals is to inspire kids,” she said this week.
Her message has clearly landed. And Charlotte isn’t the only one watching.
Hodgkinson was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December, becoming the first track athlete to win the award since Mo Farah in 2017, and the first female track athlete since Kelly Holmes in 2004.
Her growing public profile, combined with her humility and authenticity, make her the kind of figure you’d want your daughter—or princess—to look up to.
But it hasn’t been an easy year for her.
After winning Olympic gold, Hodgkinson suffered a hamstring tear that forced her to pull out of her own indoor meet, the Keely Klassic, in February. It’s been a long rehab process, but she’s now back in full training and is eyeing a comeback at the Stockholm Diamond League in June—her first race since Paris.
“It’s been 10 months since I last raced, the longest in my career,” she said. “But I’m feeling really good. The hamstring progressed nicely, and we’ve had no problems so far.”
If all goes well, she’ll be a favorite to win again at the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
As for Charlotte, it’s way too early to say whether she’ll stick with track, let alone compete seriously. But there’s something undeniably heartening about seeing a child, even one growing up behind palace gates, get swept up in the joy of running. Especially when that joy is sparked by watching someone like Keely Hodgkinson fight for every meter on the Olympic stage.
