'I need to do some training!': Kate admits her fitness levels need work after attempting tyre pulls during royal visit

8 February 2023, 15:16 | Updated: 9 February 2023, 01:13

Princess Kate today admitted she needed to "do some training" during a royal visit which saw her drag tyres under the watchful eye of a record-breaking polar explorer.

Visiting Landau Forte College in Derby, the princess broke a sweat whilst meeting Captain Preet Chandi MBE following his return to the UK.

During the visit, the Princess partook in challenges used by the Captain during training to prepare for her freezing expedition.

The princess became patron of British Army Officer Chandi's intrepid expedition in October 2022, when the explorer undertook the challenge whilst on leave from the Army.

Greeted at the door by Chandi, the royal took off the white jacket in preparation for the physical challenges.

Dragging two tyres using a belt secured around her waist, she jokingly announced: "I need to do some training!"

The visit marked the start of Captain Chandi's schools tour, where she's set to share tales from her record-breaking solo Polar expedition and speak to pupils about resilience and mental well-being.

Flanked by security, the princess also spoke with pupils at the school during the visit.

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Captain Chandi's record-breaking expedition. which concluded in January, marked the longest-ever recorded solo and unsupported expedition to the South Pole.

A trip which lasted 70 days and 16 hours, Captain Chandi crossed Antarctica, walking 922 miles through sub-zero temperatures - hitting lows of -30°C and facing wind of up to 60mph.

A gruelling feat of physical endurance, Captain Chandi skied for between 13 and 15 hours a day, dragging a sledge weighing 120kg.

Captain Chandi joined the Army Reserves at the age of 19 and the regular Army at 27 before undertaking her globe-trotting adventures.