Inside the royals’ secret talents as Prince Charles launches painting exhibition

A collection of Prince Charles' watercolour paintings will go on display in London over the next month.

The future king has shared a collection of 79 watercolour paintings of places he likes to relax with Chelsea's The Garrison Chapel, which will be on display until 14 February in The Prince's Foundation exhibition space.

The Prince revealed he enjoys the hobby as it, "refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach," and said he took up painting after he realised he preferred it to photography.

As he lets the world look at the results of his secret talent, OK! explores the secret talents the royals have…

Prince Charles

The Prince, 73, recently revealed he began to try watercolour paintings as he didn't enjoy photography.

He said of his secret talent: ""I took up painting entirely because I found photography less than satisfying.

"Quite simply, I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolour and to convey that almost 'inner' sense of texture which is impossible to achieve via photography."

The future king continued: "I very quickly discovered how incredibly difficult it is to paint well in such a spontaneous medium, and the feeling of frustration at not being able to achieve on paper the image that your eye has presented you with is intense.

"Looking back now at those first sketches I did, I am appalled by how bad they are. But, nevertheless, the great thing about painting is that you are making your own individual interpretation of whatever view you have chosen."

The Prince of Wales admitted that he finds the hobby "therapeutic."

He added: "It all requires the most intense concentration and, consequently, is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know.

"In fact, in my case, I find it transports me into another dimension which, quite literally, refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach."

Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton has a few talents up her sleeve. The royal, who celebrated her 40th birthday this week, is a keen photographer.

The mum of three has often shared the photos she takes of the three children she shares with her husband, Prince William.

Last year, Kate shared her passion with the world in the form of a photography book, which looked at the state of the UK in the Covid lockdown.

Prince William's wife, who is a Royal patron of the National Portrait Gallery, took to the official Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Instagram account to post a short clip of book which features a collection of 100 photographs depicting the UK during the coronavirus lockdown.

The snaps were taken during a six-week period during May and June and focused on three main themes – Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness.

The Duchess also recently revealed her talent for playing the piano during her recent Royal Carols: Together at Christmas concert.

The royal surprised the crowd with a performance on the piano alongside singer Tom Walker, wowing the world with her musical abilities.

Meghan Markle

It's no secret that Meghan, 40, has a talent for the theatrical, given the royal was an actress in major dramas like Suits before she married Prince Harry.

But mum of two Meghan has a few other special abilities, including cooking, yoga and calligraphy.

The royal's cooking talents have reportedly kept the royal kids happy over the years, and in their engagement interview, Harry and Megs revealed he actually popped the question over one of Meghan's roast chickens.

Before the pair were official, Meghan would often post photos of her yoga skills on her now defunct Instagram page, showing the star to be a rather talented yogi.

And according to reports, Meghan is also a talented at calligraphy, with the then actress telling Esquire in 2013 that she picked up the skill at Catholic school.

Before marrying into the royal family, Meghan used her writing skills to help put the A-list with their wedding invites, with her clients including Robin Thicke and Paula Pattan.

The mum – who shares baby Lilibet and toddler Archie with her husband – is also a talented writer, having released a children's book, The Bench, last year.

The story book is said to be inspired by Harry's relationship with his young son.

Prince William

The oldest of Charles' children, and future king, Prince William has a few talents up his sleeves too.

According to the BBC, the 39 year old is gifted with languages and is able to communicate in Swahili.

Reports suggest the prince used his gift in a meeting in Tanzania with country's president, John Magufuli, in 2018, with the prince learning the language while at university in St Andrews.

Prince Harry

Not only can he pilot a helicopter thanks to his military training, Prince Harry is known for his good sense of humour.

And the father of two made us all laugh recently when he revealed his secret talent in the background of a video the Sussexes made for Meghan's 40th birthday.

In a video posted to the Archewell website to celebrate the mother-of-two's milestone birthday back in August, Meghan looked positively glowing as she returned her acting roots. In a series of skits with actress Melissa McCarthy, the duo encourage others to join her mentorship campaign during Meghan's first appearance since giving birth to her daughter Lilibet in June.

However, it was Harry who briefly stole the spotlight as he was caught juggling through the window in the background.

The 36 year old royal left Hollywood star Melissa in hysterics as she caught him via video call showing off his new skills.

The Queen

Her passion for horses is well known, but did you know the Queen knows a thing or two about cars?

The 95 year old joined the Women's joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service aged 19 during World War II, where she learned how to drive a truck and change a spark plug.

To this date, the Queen is the only female member of the British royal family to have served in the armed forces.

Not all of the queen's talents are so serious though, with her dresser, Angela Kelly, saying in a rare interview from 2007 that the monarch has a wicked sense of humour and is actually a great mimic – even taking on her Liverpudlian accent.

She said: "We have a lot of fun together. The Queen has a wicked sense of humour and is a great mimic.

"She can do all accents — including mine."

Zara Tindall

Mirroring her gran's love for horses, the queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall is an accomplished rider.

Both Zara, 40, and her mother, Princess Anne, have competed in equestrian events at the Olympics, with Zara representing Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics.

Zara took home a silver medal that summer, with the award being presented to her by her mother.

Camilla

According to her son, Tom Parker-Bowles, Camilla is a good cook and can whip up a mean roast chicken.

Sharing the recipe in his cook book, Let’s Eat: Recipes From My Kitchen Notebook, Tom wrote: "My wife swore that if she heard me mention this dish one more time, she’d shove it where the sun don’t beam. Well, words to that effect. Because this was such a staple of my youth, I roll it out any time anyone asks if my mother is a good cook – which is pretty much all of the time.

"She is, although she was always less bothered with the cakes, puddings and pies side of things: anything that requires exact measurements. Which was fine by us. All my sister and I really wanted was Findus Crispy Pancakes and Ice Magic chocolate sauce. Sadly, we had to seek those illicit pleasures elsewhere."

Tom continued: "This is a classic recipe, cooked in the top right-hand oven of the Aga. I’ve adapted it for normal ovens. My mother insists that chopping off that dangly bit above the cavity and putting it on top of the bird improves the flavour. As it releases about a ton of schmaltz, or chicken fat, I’d agree.

"Buy the best chicken you can afford. Rather eat one decent free-range than four of those flabby imported beasts with all the depth of a puddle."

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