Prince George's adorable secret hobby - and it has amazing brain boosting benefits

Prince George is certainly following in his parents' sporty footsteps - and one of his favourite hobbies has some serious benefits for the brain as well as the body

Prince George has a hobby that not only keeps his body active, it's brilliant for his brain too.

William and Kate's firstborn son enjoys playing a number of sports, including rugby and football, and has even tried his hand at triathlon. And just like his mum, he loves tennis, having first picked up a racquet at the age of four. The sport is not only fun to play, but it also offers the young Prince a huge number of mental benefits. A study by sporting brand ASICS previously revealed that tennis players, no matter their ability to play the game or length of time playing, are more focused and energised when compared with non-tennis players, and they are 26% more positive in their attitude.

On top of this, they are also better able to cope with stress - which is a great attribute for George in light of his mother and grandfather's cancer diagnoses, and the weight of his important future royal role. Tim Benjamin of audio fitness app WithU previously told HELLO!: "Tennis based-workouts are a great way of developing all-around fitness: cardio, speed, agility and balance. Many people think that tennis simply relies on your arms and wrists. In reality, the movements and actions in tennis require your whole body. Even actions that seem simple at first, like hitting a ball, require your whole body to be in sync," he explained.

Prince George not only enjoys playing tennis, he loves watching it too. He made his debut at Wimbledon in 2022 and quickly got caught up in the on-court action. Princess Kate first revealed George's interest in the sport back in 2017 during a visit to the Lawn Tennis Association. At the time she asked LTA coach Sam Richardson for advice and he later disclosed: "She says with George just being four he wants to whack a ball, so she was asking what sort of stuff she should be doing. They will struggle at that age to hit a ball. She said he's interested in it, but more in whacking the ball."

Sam also revealed that Kate had also been getting tips from Andy Murray's mother, Judy. He said: "She said she spoke to Judy Murray and she suggested taking away the racket and do more of the basic stuff, which is absolutely right. But four-year-old boys want to swing the racket around!"

What's more, George has even had some coaching from one of the greatest tennis players of all time - Roger Federer. Roger - who has developed a friendship with Kate and even attended Pippa Middleton's wedding - previously revealed he was invited to Carole and Michael Middleton’s Bucklebury home to give the second-in-line to the throne a tennis lesson.

"At that stage it's all about just touching the ball, it's already good. Same with my boys," dad-of-four Roger said. "I think I have a little advantage that I actually spent some time, you know, with him. I'm the only player he's ever met. Then you have a little head start on who is your favourite player." Revealing his hopes that George will maintain his enthusiasm for the sport as he grows up, Roger added: "I love to see that they're into tennis or into sports ... his mum has always enjoyed tennis... I hope that he'll still say the same in a few years' time."