Now the hoo-haa surrounding Harry’s wedding to Meghan is dying down, let’s talk about his brother’s looming crisis. Prince William is in stand-off mode with wife Kate over his love of two wheels. The potential heir to the throne has pursued this passion since he was a teenager, but now he’s a father of three, the pressure is on to hang up the helmet, so to speak.
Of course, this is an issue common to any father who rides so this royal isn’t Robinson Crusoe. He’s going through a process familiar to all us former Seventies longhairs, still juggling our riding with family responsibilities.
Late last year, Wills promised Kate to “put it on the backburner” but then got busted by the paparazzi riding to a five-a-side soccer game in south London. What was he on? A Ducati Hypermotard with full Termi exhaust. What were the personal four-wheeled options he’d passed over? An Audi A3, a bulletproof Bentley Flying Spur, an Aston Martin DB6 and a Land Rover Discovery.
Is the Hypermotard Willie’s only fling with Ducatis? Certainly not. After years of owning a Triumph sportsbike, he bought a black 2013 Ducati Panigale 1199 S. He’s been photographed riding it in full race leathers with knee scrapers cheekily embossed with the cross of St George. And it’s a fair bet Wills still has his older-model Triumph Daytona, custom painted green with gold wheels, tucked away out of sight of Kate.
Usually Harry’s described as the royal troublemaker but if you are a non-motorcyclist who doesn’t understand the attraction, Wills has form. He’s actively encouraged Harry and in 2008 the pair of them took part in a 12-day enduro charity ride in Africa on a couple of Honda CRF230s.
Of course, Kate isn’t the only concerned partner struggling to understand her man’s obsession. A few years ago motorcycle-mad soccer hero David Beckham told wife Posh he was off to Brazil with his “band of brothers” to “find himself”. She asked why he couldn’t do that at home.
Then Posh confessed she’d never go to Brazil because the humidity would play havoc with her hair. She urged Becks to wear a hat all the time to protect his. A helmet sounds like a good hat option for a motorcyclist.
Of course, princes and celebrities need bodyguards and minders. So you can end up in the situation actor George Clooney found himself a while ago. He bought the latest Harley-Davidson and then had to buy a few more so his riding companions were on appropriate motorcycles.
In Prince William’s case, it means his bodyguards are fellow motorcyclists. Sometimes it’s a single policeman in official uniform, such as the night Wills rode to his soccer game. And other times it’s several undercover riders all keeping a discreet distance.
While Charles is on record as saying he disapproves of his sons’ motorcycling, the same can’t be said of the Queen. During World War II a young Elizabeth seemed to enjoy a stint piloting a dispatch-rider’s BSA as part of her women’s auxiliary forces training.
A lifetime of marriage later and aged 81, the Duke of Edinburgh was photographed looking very easy in the saddle riding a Jingcheng DX50 Easy-Rider minibike at a horse event back in 2002.
Back in 1965 Lord Snowdon, then married to the Queen’s sister Margaret, pounded around the Isle of Man TT course on a Triumph Bonneville in 40 minutes, pretty quick for the day.
“It was a great way to get fresh air,” he joked later.
Wills visited the recent Isle of Man TT and fitted easily into a racing crouch on the Norton SG7 John McGuinness was doing parade laps on.
“Love it, absolutely love it,” he said as he stepped off.
When news got back to Kate perhaps she repeated the words Harry whispered to Meghan after they’d finished their official wedding obligations: “I’m ready for a drink now”.
