He might be the heir to the throne, but Prince William was born to be wild. At least that’s what it seemed like during his visit to Northern Ireland today where he appeared to live out a fantasy straight out of The Outsiders or Grease. The Prince of Wales reprised an old hobby of his: motorcycle riding while visiting a production studio.
William visited the Virtual Production Studio at Ulster University’s Belfast City Campus, where he got on a stationary motorbike in front of a projection of a desert road.
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“Any excuse to get on a motorbike!” William said, per Hello! “I feel like someone needs to take this for a real spin,” he added, asking if it was possible to move the bike off its stand.
William continued, saying, “I love that exhaust,” as he hopped off the bike. He described the virtual experience as “incredibly realistic.”
The experience brought William back to his younger years, when he used to ride motorcycles as a hobby. He began to have a change of heart about riding a few years back because his wife, Princess Kate, expressed concern over the practice.
“He’s still riding it,” the Princess of Wales said during a visit to Dundee, Scotland, in 2015. “It always fills me with horror when he goes out on it. I’m terrified. Hopefully I’m going to keep George off of it.”
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In 2018, William confessed he retired the hobby while visiting the Isle of Man.
“I’m a dad of three. I have to tone it down,” he said, as he welcomed his third child, Prince Louis, that same year. “I miss the big trips. For me, biking was always about being with everybody else.”
William’s trip to Northern Ireland was originally planned for May, but it got postponed due to the U.K. general election. In addition to revisiting his love of riding, he visited The Foyer, a temporary accommodation and support service for young individuals experiencing homelessness. The service is a part of William’s Homewards initiative, which has a mission of eradicating homelessness in the U.K.
William stopped by Ulster University to highlight the work of creative industries. The university has been working to grow the creative industry and is estimated to add more than $1.7 billion to the local economy and employ 24,000 individuals.
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