Prince William inspects Adam Peaty’s gold medals as he heads poolside to promote new cause

Prince William has arrived in Birtley, north England, this afternoon to highlight the importance of access to swimming.

Arriving at Birtley Community Pool on Thursday afternoon, the heir to the throne appeared in high spirits as he visited the newly opened pool.

Inside he met Olympian and Paralympian swimmers including Adam Peaty and Tom Dean. Sitting down with Peaty, who boasts three Olympic gold medals, eight world titles, William took a closer look at his medal haul.

At this year’s Paris 2024 Olympics Peaty narrowly missed out on taking Gold for the third time in the 100m breaststroke, having been beaten by Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi by only 0.02 seconds.

William, who is himself a keen swimmer and is Patron of Swim England, heard about how the space is now creating long-term health benefits for people in Birtley, as well as boosting community spirit.

It comes as The Royal Foundation announced a new partnership with Birtley Community Pool to provide much-needed swimming lessons and lifeguard training for the local community. Local schools are already starting to use the pool as a result of funding from The Royal Foundation.

After spending time with the swimmers poolside, William attended a workshop with senior figures from the swimming and sports sectors, to discuss the different ways to increase swimming opportunities in the UK.

The Prince joined discussions focusing on solutions needed to break down barriers to access swimming – something he’s extremely passionate about.