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Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a patterned bikini and holding a matching sarong, stands on board a yacht, whilst on holiday on August 16, 1988 in Majorca, Spain.© Anwar Hussein

13 rare photos of royals in swimwear: Prince William's Speedos, Meghan Markle's bikini, more

The Princess of Wales, Duchess of Sussex, Zara Tindall and Co love to take a summer dip

HELLO!
Senior Lifestyle & Fashion Writer
Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
Updated: June 11, 2024
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Summer is upon us, and when temperatures soar, even royalty can't help but dive into the nearest body of water. 

From catching rays at Eden Rock in St Barths like the Princess of Wales' family, to sunning it up aboard luxury yachts like the Tindalls, the royal set reach next-level luxury during the year's warmest months. 

The royals are notoriously private during their summer holidays, but on occasion, we have caught glimpses of their post-sea swims, poolside lounging and hazy evening dips. 

HELLO! revisits the best royal swimwear moments from the royal family, from Princess Diana's legendary leopard print one-piece to Prince William's sporty Speedos.

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Princess Diana In Leopardskin Swimming Costume And Sarong On Holiday In Necker Island In The Caribbean

Princess Diana's leopard print one-piece

When the late Princess of Wales' most iconic swimwear moment was recreated in Netflix's The Crown, we should've guessed a revival of animal print swimwear would be imminent. 

The royal was first pictured wearing the leopard swimming costume in 1990, while on a family vacation to the British Virgin Islands. The low-back, loud print number was designed by American swimwear brand, Jantzen. 

SHOP: Princess Diana's leopard print swimsuit is STILL iconic - 12 animal print swimsuits we love right now

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Meghan Markle wears a watermelon bikini

Meghan Markle's watermelon bikini

Before the Duchess of Sussex deactivated her private Instagram account, her social media feed was a sea of sun-soaked snaps as the former Suits actress chased sunnier climes. 

In one unearthed photo, Meghan rocked a crochet watermelon bikini, complete with a melon-red bralette and striped green bottoms.

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Princess Charlene posing in a swimsuit© Getty

Princess Charlene's Olympian swimwear set

Princess Charlene of Monaco forged a successful career as an Olympic swimmer before retiring in 2007, and it was how she came to meet her husband, Prince Albert in 2000. 

The South African-born royal has had a number of chic poolside moments, though our favourite is undoubtedly when she graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in a sporty Speedo one-piece while rocking platinum blonde hair.

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Kate Middleton holding onto coral underwater© YouTube

Princess Kate's scuba-diving style

The Prince and Princess of Wales released a video of themselves snorkelling and diving with 2021 Earthshot Prize Winner Coral Vita to better understand their project on farming and planting coral in the Bahamas.

Sporty Princess Kate showed off her athletic prowess in a cropped wetsuit. 

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Zara and Mike donned wetsuits to brave the sub-zero temperatures in Icealand's waters© Instagram

Zara Tindall's wetsuit

Zara Tindall enjoyed a romantic break in Iceland with her husband Mike earlier this year, and the royal couple braved an icy dip

Taking to Instagram to share a glimpse at their magical holiday, former England rugby player Mike shared a heartwarming montage of his romantic getaway with his wife. 

"Iceland, thank you!!! What a place!!!" penned the father-of-three in the caption of his video, which included the saying: "Life if short, world is wide, I wanna make some memories."

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Lady Amelia Spencer takes a dip in the Maldives© Instagram

Lady Amelia Spencer

Lady Amelia Spencer displayed her enviable swimsuit collection while on a dreamy wedding anniversary vacation in the Maldives with her love, Greg Mallett. 

Taking to Instagram to share postcards from their slice of heaven at The Conrad Hotel on Rangali Island, Princess Diana's newlywed niece shared an influx of sun-soaked snaps from her idyllic holiday - including several wearing a chic mermaid-blue swimsuit. 

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Princess Olympia of Greece wears a navy blue bikini© Instagram

Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece's swimsuit collection

Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece's Instagram feed is an ode to summer, it seems. From strapless bikinis to high-rise swimsuits, the royal-turned-model is a total royal beach babe. 

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Mike Tindall

Mike Tindall

Stripping down is just part of the I'm a Celebrity experience with many iconic moments coming from the show's shower scenes and Mike Tindall was no exception when he hit the baths and surprised viewers by revealing his tiny swimming trunks.

Fans loved the moment as one said: "NOT THE BUDGIE SMUGGLERS MIKE," and another commented: "It's not every day you see ex-England rugby [player] and Princess Anne's son-in-law, Mike Tindall in his speedos on national television, but first time for everything."

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princess diana in the sea wearing orange bikini © Getty

Princess Diana's tangerine bikini

Princess Diana had plenty of noteworthy fashion moments, including this one from 1993 when she holidayed in the Caribbean. 

The royal was seen in a bright-orange bikini as she enjoyed the waves and even took part in a bit of bodyboarding.

10/13

HRH Prince William offers support as he makes his water polo debut for the Scottish National Universities Squad in the Annual Celtic Nations Tournament match between Wales and Ireland held on April 17, 2004 in Cardiff, Wales.© Getty

Prince William's Speedos

During his university days, Prince William was a keen water polo player, and was often seen in a pair of black speedos as he cheered on teammates before getting into the pool himself.

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the queen swimwear© Photo: Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II's life-saving attire

The late Queen, then known as Princess Elizabeth, took part in a Children's Challenge Shield Competition that was held in 1939. Her Majesty, who wore a black one-piece and white swim-cap, even walked away from the event with an award in life-saving.

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king charles bondi beach© Photo: Getty Images

King Charles' surfer look

King Charles enjoyed a trip to Bondi Beach during a tour of Australia in his youth. Accompanied by his bodyguard, the former Prince of Wales had a pair of blue trunks and a huge smile on his face as he enjoyed the warm waters.

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princess margaret swimsuit© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Margaret's colourful swimsuit

The late Princess Margaret looked amazing in this brightly-coloured one-piece as she enjoyed a holiday in Mustique back in 1976.

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