The image of a portly king sitting on his throne with a meaty turkey leg and goblet wine of is a thing of the past. Today’s royalty is cut from a different cloth, namely gore-tex and polyester cotton blend. They still spend a lot of time at the family stables, but are also making sure to set aside enough time for spin class.
The HFR founder and four-time “No. 1 Fitness Trainer in the World” Samir Becic and his team investigated the fitness routines of the world’s nobility. What we found was a group of people who are in the highest echelon of athletes in the world. But it’s no surprise when you consider they have to attend so many state dinners, where wear tailored suits and elegant dresses, which is a huge incentive to stay in tip-top shape!
“These fit royals are great trend setters for the new generation in terms of healthy lifestyle. I am impressed with royals all over the world for their conscious contributions to healthy lifestyle. They are participating in the world of the 21st century, where active lifestyle plays a crucial role in world health.” says HFR founder and author of the book ReSYNC Your Life Samir Becic:
Sadly, we can’t have the nobility duke it out in some grand tournament to crown who is the healthiest and most physically fit. Until that’s a thing, we’ve come up with our own methodology to determine the fittest royals in the world. Those include fitness level, nutritional habits, age, their own medical issues and how they coped with them, and especially involvement and promotion of healthy lifestyle within their country.
Here is our list of the top 10 fittest male royalty:
Prince Harry David – England
- Captain in the British Army Air Corps
- According to the British military’s guidebook for physical training, Harry’s position requires a rigorous fitness routine
- Receives personal training sessions at a public gym
- Enjoys sports such as rugby union, polo, and skiing
- Has a trainer
- Does a mixture of circuit training, boxing, and cardio
Prince Olof Daniel Westling Bernadotte – Sweden
- Had a passion for sports growing up
- Fitness instructor and personal trainer
- Gym Owner and ran the company Balance Training with 3 gyms in central Stockholm
- Served in the Swedish army as part of the national conscription
- Met his wife Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland while at the gym.
Prince William Louis – England
- Prince William works for the Royal Air Force flying Sea King search and rescue helicopters. He performs his duty as any RAF pilot should, with professionalism and total dedication to the job. This includes eating a healthy diet and staying very fit.
- While at school and college Prince William played several sports, including soccer (he was captain of his house team at Eton College), swimming, basketball, cross country running and water polo.
- In 2004 while studying at St. Andrews University he represented the Scottish National Universities Water Polo Team during the Celtic Nations championships. His codename was Steve during the tournament, and the press never caught on to the fact that he was Prince William of Wales.
- He is always active, both in work and in leisure. He does not spend his days sitting at a desk and his evenings sitting in front of the television. He has access to healthy food, and his work and royal commitments means that he has the motivation to stay in great shape.
Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa – Bahrain
- First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport
- President of the Bahrain Association of Athletics Federations
- President of the Federation of West Asian Athletics
- Force Commander of the Special Royal Guard
- Graduated from British Military Academy
- Royal Guard Commander Khalidiya Stables
- Member of the Royal Group of Endurance horses
- Founder of the Stables (Khalidiya) Race Horse in 2004
- Has loved riding since childhood and became a coach because of his gifted ability
- Won the youngest coach in the world title.
- Participates in most major sports
- Hobbies: Equestrian, hawk, archery, football and huju mosol.
- Loves to engage in endurance sports, well recognized for horse racing and show jumping
- Awarded Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Creative Sports in its sixth category (athlete has achieved outstanding successes)
- Graduate of British Military Academy
- Achieved second place in diving and special forces, and has taken many special military training courses
- Holds the current military rank of Major
- Participant of Cut off swimming challenge from Sunset Beach, distance of 42 km a time of 20 hours March 14, 2014 for the benefit of cancer patients
- Won many awards in swimming and in field sports.
- Established events in the Humanitarian field
- Well recognized and an outstanding athlete, with many achievements and awards
Prince Haakon Magnus – Norway
- Served in the Royal Norwegian Navy
- Involved in several sports, particularly likes windsurfing
- Has been part of olympic ceremonies (opening ceremony Vancouver)
- Enjoys winter sports and water sports
- Runs races, including the 2014 mini-marathon through Oslo
Prince Albert Grimaldi – Monaco
- Was a camper and later became a counselor for six summers at Camp Tecumseh on Lake Winnipesaukee, Moultonborough, New Hampshire
- An enthusiastic sportsman
- Participated in cross country, javelin throwing, handball, judo, swimming, tennis, rowing, sailing, skiing, squash and fencing
- Has competed in five Winter Olympics in the sport of bobsledding for Monaco
- Took part in both 2-man and 4-man events
- Patron of Monaco’s football team
- Flag bearer for Monaco at the 1988, 1994, 1998 winter olympics
- Member of the International Olympic Committee
- Awarded the Eagle award by the United States Sports Academy
Prince Abdullah bin Miteb Abdullah Al-Saud – Saudi Arabia
- Has been at the forefront of show jumping in Saudi Arabia for over a decade and has represented his country on numerous occasions
- As well as being an integral part of the bronze medal winning team at the London Olympic Games in 2012, Prince Abdullah won individual and team gold at the Pan Arab Games in 2007 and was also part of the gold medal winning Saudi Equestrian team at the Asian Games in 2006 and 2010
Prince Amedeo D’Aviano, 28 – Belgium
- Spent a year in the Royal Military Academy in Belgium
- Completed military service and is a reserve officer in the Belgian Army
- Known for being an athlete
- Hobbies include rugby and running
- Ran the 2008 New York City Marathon
Prince Sébastien Henri Marie Guillaume – Luxembourg
- Enjoys climbing, skiing, swimming and particularly rugby.
- He was selected for the Luxembourg National rugby team and also plays for the varsity team at his University.
King Norodom Shaman – Cambodia
- Best known for his work as a cultural ambassador in Europe and as a classical dance instructor
- Studied classical dance and music until 1975
- In 1981 he moved to France to teach ballet and was later president of the Khmer Dance Association
- Does exercise regularly, such as bike riding and walking around the palace
- Spent a year as a monk
If you are looking for the Prince Charles, King Abdullah Il bin al-Hussein of Jordan, King Felipe VI of Spain, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Philippe Maria of Belgium, see our list on the Fittest Heads of State and Top 50 Royals In The World.
For more on the fittest royalty, see the other lists in our series:
Fittest British Royals
Fittest European Royals
Fittest Asian Royals
Fittest Arab Royalty
