A newly released photo of the Princess of Wales has captured Kate Middleton as she embarks on her lesser-known passion for beekeeping.
The mother of three, 41, fully embraced the World Bee Day effort, dressed in a beekeeping suit as she tended a busy hive in the grounds of her Norfolk home.
The photo, taken by Matt Porteous, the royal photographer behind Prince William and Kate’s official family photos, shows the princess lifting part of the hive to collect honey.
While grinning from the beekeeper’s helmet, she looks down at the group of honey bees huddled around the board.
The photo was posted to Kensington Royal’s Instagram to mark World Bee Day.
The mother of three, 41, fully embraced the World Bee Day effort, dressed in a beekeeping suit as she tends a beehive in Windsor
The royals also shared a video of some beehives in Windsor Great Park for World Bee Day
The photo, taken by Matt Porteous, the royal photographer behind the official family photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton, shows Kate lifting part of the hive to collect honey
The caption reads: ‘We’re buzzing about World Bee Day.
“Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem and today is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the vital role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy.”
Beekeeping is one of the lesser known talents of the Princess of Wales, shared with her brother James Middleton.
She has been spotted handing out jars of honey from her garden during royal visits.
During a 2021 visit to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, the princess revealed that she also has bees in her Norfolk residence.
During her visit, she brought a jar of honey from Norfolk’s garden, which she offered to children at St. Mary of the Angels Primary School in London.
Elsewhere, Buckingham Palace beekeepers are depicted hard at work
The Queen is also an avid beekeeper and keeps bees at Raymill, her six-bedroom retreat in Lacock, Wiltshire, 27 miles from King’s Highgrove home.
She said, “Would you like to try some?” she asked. ‘I have a spoon each. This came specially from my beehive.
‘See if it tastes the same as at home. Does it taste like store bought honey? Does it taste like flowers?’
Elsewhere, Buckingham Palace beekeepers are depicted hard at work.
The Queen is also an avid beekeeper and keeps bees at Raymill, her six-bedroom retreat in Lacock, Wiltshire, 27 miles from King’s Highgrove home.
On a visit to Launceston, Cornwall, last summer Camilla met honey producers selling pots in the village green and told them she was a practical beekeeper and had only lost one colony during the previous winter.
Honey produced by Camilla’s bees is sold at Fortnum & Mason to raise money for charity
Honey produced by Camilla’s bees is sold at Fortnum & Mason to raise money for charity.
This year’s recipient is Nigeria’s first sexual assault referral center, which supports the Queen as a patron.
She is also president of Bees for Development, a charity that trains beekeepers and protects bee habitats in more than 50 countries.
Buckingham Palace is home to four beehives on an island in a lake in the garden, and there are two beehives in the garden of Clarence House.
The beehives produced more than 300 jars of honey for the palace kitchens last year, and it was often served in honey madeleines, as a filling for chocolate truffles or in honey cream sponge cake.