William reveals passion for motorbiking - despite Kate's objections
The Prince of Wales spoke about his love of motorbikes when he met volunteers from the charity Norfolk Blood Bikes and unveiled a new car that he had donated to the organisation.
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The Prince of Wales spoke about his love of motorbikes when he met volunteers from the charity Norfolk Blood Bikes and unveiled a new car that he had donated to the organisation.
William arrived at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in the rain on Thursday and was met by charity chairman Sandy Gourlay, who escorted him to a marquee beside a row of motorbikes.
Holding an umbrella as he walked, the prince observed: “The bikes are all laid out.”
Mr Gourlay told William the car he had donated “is going to really help make a difference, having a car on each corner of the estate, as well as our fleet of motorcycles”.
“I know you’re a keen biker as well,” Mr Gourlay said.
William replied: “I love a bike.”
Kate Middleton has previously shared her fears about William's hobby.
"He’s still riding it. It always fills me with horror when he goes out on it," Kate said in Scotland in 2015.
She added: "I’m terrified. Hopefully I’m going to keep George off of it."
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The prince asked how new the bikes on display were, and Mr Gourlay told him they were just over two years old.
After taking time to chat to the gathered volunteers William spoke to an elderly hospital patient who had noticed the activity outside his nearby ground floor window.
The prince waved and said: “Very nice to see you, how’s everyone, alright?”
The patient gave a thumbs up, which William returned.
Referring to the rain, William said he had picked a “really rubbish day”, and said the patient was “much better off in there, nice and warm”.
He then peeled tape off the side of the new Ford Kuga car to reveal it had been named Prince William.
The charity names all of its vehicles, in part because it makes them easier to refer to than memorising registration plates.
The Prince and Princess of Wales privately funded the vehicle for the charity in 2025.
It has joined a dedicated fleet of fully liveried vehicles which predominantly operate overnight and at weekends to ensure critical medical supplies are delivered safely and swiftly across Norfolk and beyond.
Mr Gourlay said the charity now has 18 motorbikes and seven cars, including the newest addition.
The cars help manage bigger deliveries of blood and provide a safer alternative to the motorcycles in the winter months.
He said several names were put forward for the vehicle, including Hercules because the prince is “a massive Aston Villa fan and their mascot is called Hercules”, but the name Prince William was chosen.
The car was used straight away to take a delivery of blood from the hospital to the East Anglian Air Ambulance base at Norwich Airport.
William got in the front passenger seat as rider and trainer Andy Plane drove the supplies to the air ambulance.
After making the journey, Mr Plane said of William: “He was very interested in everything we do.”
He said the prince was “so good to donate the car to us, I think it’s fabulous”, adding: “We’ve been chatting about riding bikes and things on the way here.
“He’s a normal guy, he’s great.”
Mr Plane said with a motorbike helmet on you are “more anonymous”.
He said they talked about “what sort of bike he has now – not something I’d heard of, an electric bike – the power is phenomenal, just normal biker talk”.
William has a life-long passion for motorbikes and in 2018 got to indulge his love of two-wheels when he visited the Isle of Man TT race festival.
In the racing paddock of Norton Motorcycles, the prince confessed he once had a Ducati 1209 but had downsized to a less powerful bike from the same manufacturer. He also revealed he used to ride scramblers with his brother the Duke of Sussex and they would “basically try and hit each other”.
On Thursday’s visit in Norfolk, William also met Lennon Hayes, 22, who was involved in a serious accident in 2023 and was treated by the East Anglia Air Ambulance team, receiving blood at the scene.
Mr Hayes, of Norwich, said he had been on an e-scooter on his way home from working as a pub manager when he was hit by a car and spent a month-and-a-half in a coma.
William, who worked as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017, said: “No family thinks they need the air ambulance until they do need it.”
Mr Hayes said the air ambulance and blood bike workers “saved my life”.
“They enjoy doing it,” said William.
“It makes it worthwhile when you come back and say thank you and they see you and they’re like ‘wow’.
“Because a lot of the time you never know what happens.”
He told Mr Hayes: “I’m very glad you’re much better.”
Mr Hayes said afterwards that it was “wonderful” to meet William.
“He seems like such a down-to-earth guy, just so easy to talk to,” he said.
He said he would remember the meeting “for the whole of my life”.