Keely Hodgkinson has revealed that Prince William told her Princess Charlotte is following in her athletic footsteps when he awarded her an MBE. The 24-year-old track star received the honour in 2025 at Windsor Castle, following her gold-medal performance at the Paris Games and her Sports Personality of the Year win in 2024.
The Prince of Wales informed Hodgkinson that Charlotte, 11, is a keen runner and also competes in hurdles. Hodgkinson described being honoured for her sporting accomplishments as "really nice", adding that the "whole experience has been amazing".
Prince's words to Hodgkinson
She said at the time: "The prince told me his daughter is doing the 400m at the minute and the hurdles and that she did watch me in Paris. He told me that he remembers me winning and that he wished he could be there to see it himself."
Hodgkinson is on track to secure a third consecutive 800m title at the European Athletics Championships after cruising through her opening round on Tuesday in Birmingham.
Fastest heat time
Her time of 1min 57.28sec is the quickest she has ever clocked in a heat, as she comfortably sealed her spot in the semi-finals on Thursday. After the race, she said: "I felt really good. I think that's the fastest I've ever run in a heat. But I could feel the girls pushing on my shoulder. And, to be honest, running at that kind of pace is a bit more in keeping with my training, so it actually felt kind of nice. I had to slow myself down a bit. But I've got a day off now before the semi-final and I feel good."
Should everything proceed according to plan on Thursday, Hodgkinson will have the chance to claim another gold in her anticipated showdown against Swiss star Audrey Werro and Olympic and world champion Femke Broeders-Bol on Friday.
Training camp in Portugal
The Briton disclosed that she arrived in Birmingham following a personal best recorded during her training camp in Portugal. She routinely uses the camp to assess her fitness ahead of major competitions alongside her coach, Trevor Painter.
She said: "Portugal went really well. I'm really happy and just excited to showcase where I'm at and hopefully have the performance I know I'm capable of. It's always all about medals. They create legacy. This will hopefully be my fifth back-to-back title."
Hodgkinson won gold in the 800m in the European Indoor Championships in 2021 and 2023 in between her victories at the biennial event.
