Kate Middleton's hobby 'forest bathing' isn't exactly a surprise
The Princess of Wales has a love for nature
Kate Middleton has reportedly embraced a peaceful hobby, and it’s one that connects her to nature – something she loves.
British artist Chris Levine, who famously photographed Her Majesty in one of her most iconic portraits, has said that the Princess of Wales has been learning to meditate, joining the growing list of royals who turn to mindfulness for balance.
“I think I’ve said too much!” Levine quipped in an interview this week with the Daily Mail, after admitting he’s been guiding Kate through the practice.
What is Kate’s hobby?
While meditation might be new to her toolkit, the princess has long championed connecting with the natural world. She has reportedly been a fan of a Japanese-inspired practice called forest bathing.
Rooted in the concept of shinrin-yoku, forest bathing involves immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of a natural environment, not for exercise, but for mindfulness and restoration.
It’s less about hiking and more about soaking in the energy of the forest, tuning into nature’s rhythms, and finding stillness among the trees.
Royal fans may remember the serene photograph released during her cancer treatment last year. In the snap, Kate was seen leaning calmly against a tree in Windsor as she gazed ahead.
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith reflected on the symbolism.
“There she is in nature, which has fortified her,” she told PEOPLE. “Looking upward in a sign of real hope and encouragement for everybody.”
In a video with the Scouts earlier this year, Kate opened up about her spiritual connection to the outdoors.
“I find it a very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection,” she mused in the video, which was filmed in the Lake District. “Not everyone has that same relationship perhaps with nature. But it is so therefore meaningful for me as a place to balance and find a sort of sense of peace and reconnection in what is otherwise a very busy world.”
Meditation in the royal family
Kate’s reported interest in meditation comes through her connection to Chris Levine. Levine is best known for his 2004 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, titled Equanimity. It was commissioned for the Island of Jersey’s 800th anniversary of loyalty to the Crown.
But it was an outtake from that session, a striking, unposed image of the queen with her eyes closed, that captivated Levine most.
Titled Lightness of Being, the photograph captured Her Majesty looking completely serene. The portrait now features on the cover of Levine’s book Inner Light. It is also widely regarded as one of the most evocative and humanising royal images ever taken.
“It’s the most evocative image of a royal by any artist,” Levine told HELLO!. “It’s become a historic work.”
That energy, he says, inspired him to pursue meditation.
‘I know that I need to meditate every single day’
Meanwhile, Kate’s not the first royal to turn inward. Prince Harry told reporters in 2019 that he meditated daily to manage anxiety in the lead-up to fatherhood.
In 2022, he reaffirmed this, confirming that he now meditates on a daily basis. “I now put in about half an hour, 45 minutes, in the morning,” Harry admitted at a panel hosted by BetterUp, as reported by The Independent. “I know that I need to meditate every single day.”
And Meghan Markle, writing on her former blog The Tig, admitted that though meditation once felt daunting, it eventually transformed her mindset.
“[It] soon became the quietude that rocked my world,” Meghan wrote. “I can’t put my finger on the why or the how. But I will tell you this much, for me, I am just happier. And meditation has much to do with that.”
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