Kate Middleton's ode to summer proves she's still a country girl at heart

The Princess of Wales is making the most of her summer - and she wants everyone else to start doing the same.

Despite being on holiday with her family, Princess Catherine shared a surprise ode to summer with a new video on Wednesday, August 13. The post was the latest of her Mother Nature series, started earlier this year with the release of a Spring themed video, in which the Princess shared that "nature has been my sanctuary" during her cancer treatment.

In the voiceover to the video, which includes plenty of sun-drenched images such as buzzing bees, people out in the garden, and children playing in the sun, Kate is heard saying, "Summer is the season for abundance.

"Just as the flowers bloom and the fruits ripen, we too are reminded of our own potential for growth. It is the time to ignite our inner fire and explore our own creativity, passions, and dreams."

The dreamy video continues with Kate saying, “As we bask in the sunlit hours, friends and families come together - playing, connecting, being present, embracing the joy to be found in even the most fleeting moments and shared experiences.”

Poignantly, she adds, "Our lives flourish when we cherish the bonds of love and friendship, so open your hearts, sing, dance, play. The days are still long, so simply love and be loved."

Signing off with a C for Catherine, the caption for the post read, "Our lives flourish when we cherish the bonds of love and friendship. It has never been more important to appreciate the value of one another and of Mother Nature. Here’s to Summer."

It’s not hard to be moved by Kate’s words, especially as she encourages people to savour every moment. Following the year she’s had since first revealing her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, the Princess definitely deserves to "sing, dance, and play" with her children this summer.

Kate's ode to summer is perfectly in keeping with everything we know about the outdoorsy Princess, too. On the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast in 2020, she shared that her favourite family time involves everyone “outside in the countryside, and we're all filthy dirty."

And the Berkshire-born future queen even included a touch of the outdoors in her 2011 royal wedding. The wedding flowers and decorations included transporting six 25-foot maple trees inside Westminster Abbey. After the wedding, the trees were replanted in King Charles’s Welsh holiday home.

In fact, many believed that getting the family out of London and closer to nature was one of the key factors that inspired the Waleses' relocation from Kensington Palace in London to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor in 2022.

While it also meant they were closer to the late Queen Elizabeth II in her final years, the more rural setting is perfect for these outdoorsy, nature-filled adventures that appear to mean so much to Kate.