Kings and queens of their craft! After Margrethe of Denmark won a design award for her work on a Netflix film, how other royals have honed their hidden talents in art, sport and acting

Being a member of the royal family can seem like a busy full-time job as senior figures carry out regular royal engagements both at home and abroad.

However, what many don’t know is that a number of royals have skills on the side, away from their public-facing duties – like, for example the recently abdicated Queen Margrethe who just won an award for her costume work on a Netflix film.

She isn’t the only royal with an unexpected skill: from truck driving to selling art for staggering amounts of money, a number of have alternative talents.

Among the most prestigious of these talents are Zara Tindall‘s efforts at riding, which have seen her pick up an Olympic medal, among other accolades. 

She follows in the footsteps of her talented mother Princess Anne, who was also a lauded equestrian in her day.

Here, FEMAIL looks at some of the most talented royals – and you should expect to be surprised by at least of couple of them…

Queen Elizabeth II – trained mechanic and truck driver

Of all the unlikely skills boasted by royals, the most surprising is perhaps the late monarch’s ability as a mechanic. She was trained to fix and drive trucks when she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service at just 18-years-old.

The then-Princess Elizabeth was taught skills like changing a spark plug as well as how to drive a truck. This involvement made her the only female member of The Firm to have been in the armed forces.

Her experience as a driver and mechanic during WWII, which she described ‘the terrible and glorious years’ was shared in a 2020 documentary, Our Queen At War.

Unlike many of her peers who were evacuated abroad, Elizabeth remained in Britain. She was prepared for the throne by studying the British constitution at Eton College, while putting on fundraising pantomimes at Windsor Castle and worrying about the safety of her parents who remained at Buckingham Palace.

By the time she was 16, Princess Elizabeth was inspecting the troops and launching ships while living in a secret location and keeping up with developments in the war by watching weekly newsreels.

At the age of 18 the Princess joined the women’s arm of the British Army, the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), and became the first female member of the royal family to serve in the armed forces.

Royal biographer Jane Dismore wrote: ‘The war gave Princess Elizabeth a humanity that she might have taken longer to discover she shared a lot in common with ordinary people in that she saw their suffering, she knew about it. She knew that people looked to her as that new generation, that new generation of hope. ‘

When the end of the War came, on VE day in May 1945, she mingled with the crowds outside Buckingham Palace incognito in her ATS uniform – seven years before taking the throne. 

Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty magazine, said: ‘She actually described it as the most exciting night of her life.’

Prince Albert of Monaco – Olympian

While very few may be aware of it, Prince Albert of Monaco is not only married to a famous Olympian (Princess Charlene is a swimmer), he is one himself.

Not only that, the royal took part in not one, but five consecutive Games, representing Monaco in bobsled. 

The son of Prince Rainer and Grace Kelly took up bobsleigh in the mid-1980s, and has been a member of the International Olympic Committee (UIOC) since 1985. 

Prince Albert, who was the bobsleigh pilot for Monaco, participated in the Olympics in Calgary, Albertville, Lillehammer, Nagano, and Salt Lake City between 1988 and 2002. 

He was flag bearer for his nation in 1988, 1994 and 2002.

The Monegasque royal, 65, met his fellow Olympian wife at a swimming event in Monaco in 2000 – the same year she competed in the Sydney Olympics.

It’s thought the couple bonded over the fact they both came from athletic backgrounds – and the bond was clearly a strong one as they are still together today. 

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark – artist

Margrethe of Denmark, who recently abdicated to give the throne to her son, King Frederik, showed off her creative talents in other projects while she was monarch.

Far from fading into the background following her abdication; the 83-year-old has just scooped a prestigious award for her costume and set design work on a Danish film.     

She worked on Netflix film Ehrengard – The Art of Seduction, for which she was awarded a Robert Award as Costume Designer of the Year.

Taking to Instagram, the royal wrote: ‘I am deeply grateful, touched and proud of the recognition that the Robert award represents. 

‘Receiving an award that the industry itself awards makes me particularly happy, and it has been a great joy and pleasure to be able to contribute to the expression of the film. 

‘I would like to thank the entire team behind the film, but I especially thank all those who have made my ideas, sketches and drawings a reality – not least the talented people who have sewn and worked with the many costumes.’

Many are unaware of the former monarch’s creative talents, but as a child, she aspired to be an artist.

She was not set to be monarch during her childhood as, despite being the eldest sibling, as primogeniture rules at the time stipulated any boys born into the family would take the throne, whether they were the eldest or not. However, the rules were changed when she was a child.

But even during her royal duty, after becoming Queen in 1972, she worked on creative projects.  

According to the Danish royal website: ‘As an adult, The Queen herself became involved in ballet as a scenographer and costume designer. 

‘From the mid-1980s and 30 years onwards, The Queen helped with the annual ballet performances at a friend’s dance school in Næstved, where the wing scenery and costumes were conjured up with enormous imagination from materials at hand. Quite special were the performances’ numerous paper hats, which The Queen thought up and created herself.’

After working on amateur productions, Margrethe took up more professional work, after being approached by the TV theatre at Danmarks Radio who ‘approached The Queen in 1987 and persuaded her to assist as a scenographer and costume designer for a TV production of H.C. Andersen’s fairy tale The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep’.

A litany of productions followed throughout the years, with her first performance as scenographer and costume designer being the H.C. Andersen-inspired ballet Love in the Dustbin in 2001.

‘Since then there have been ballets based on several of the author’s fairy tales, including Thumbelina, The Tinderbox, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Swineherd and The Snow Queen, but also The Nutcracker and Cinderella,’ says her online biography.

King Charles – one of the UK’s ‘most successful living artists’

The monarch has spoken often of his love of art, and it’s well known that he enjoys watercolour.

His Majesty, who has been known to pick up a paintbrush, modestly refers to himself as an enthusiastic amateur.

However, it was revealed in 2016 that the then-Prince of Wales was actually one of Britain’s most successful living artists after raising millions of pounds for charity by selling prints of his paintings.

Copies have been sold through the shop at his family residence, Highgrove House, and since 1997 the watercolour paintings have brought in £2million for The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation.

Added to that is the estimation by an art dealer who previously handled sales of the Prince’s lithographs that they raised at least £4million.

It means the total amount, which has gone towards a wide variety of good causes, is believed to be more than £6million, according to Robert Mendick at the Telegraph.

The average earnings of fine artists at the time was £10,000 a year, putting Charles in an elite group. 

The lithographs on display in the Highgrove shop are priced at around £2,500, while the Belgravia Gallery, which previously handled sales, offers limited edition prints for up to £15,000.

The Prince only paints with watercolours and never sells the originals.

He has painted for decades, inspired in the 1970s and 80s by his art master at Gordonstoun in Scotland Robert Waddel.

Mainly focusing on landscapes and nature scenes, his favourite locations include the Queen’s estate at Balmoral and Sandringham House.

The Prince has often shared his love of art with the public and in 2013 contributed to a television documentary, ‘Royal Paintbox’ on Royal artists throughout history.

He sees his watercolours as part of his legacy, and in the documentary said: ‘We walk away and shuffle off our mortal coil, but these things live on.’

Clarence House has said in the past: ‘The Prince has been an enthusiastic amateur artist and keen collector and Patron of the Arts for many years.

‘The Prince likes to paint whenever his schedule allows – whether on private holidays, or during a spare moment on an overseas tour – and finds it a most absorbing occupation.

‘These watercolours provide an insight into not only The Prince’s artistic interpretation of his environment, but into his private and public life.’

Sophie Winkleman (Lady Frederick Windsor) – actor 

Sophie Winkleman, who has been styled as Lady Frederick Windsor ever since her 2009 wedding to Lord Frederick Windsor.

Lord Frederick is the son of Prince Michael of Kent and his wife Marie-Christine, known as Princess Michael.

Sophie met Lord Frederick Windsor on a night out in Soho and married him in September 2009 at Hampton Court Palace.

The guests included senior members of the Royal Family and the bride’s half sister, Claudia.

She previously detailed her experience moving into the Royal Family, telling The Times in 2020: ‘I’ve been incredibly welcomed with open arms by all of them.

‘I haven’t had a single negative experience. The Queen’s been wonderful, Prince Charles has been wonderful, Prince William’s been heaven.

‘They’d never tell me off at all if I wanted to play some role. Everyone’s looked after me.’

As well as being part of the wider Royal Family, Sophie is also an actor, best known for her role as Big Suze in Peep Show.

Sophie was educated at the City of London School for Girls before completing an English degree at the University of Cambridge.

During her time there, she joined the Cambridge Footlights comedy troupe that, over time, has featured stars including Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry and David Mitchell.

Zara Tindall – the ‘Royal Olympian’

Perhaps one of the best known royals to have an impressive talent is Zara Tindall, who is a talented equestrienne who has even picked up an Olympic medal in the sport.

Her illustrious career includes a gold at the European Eventing Championships in 2005 and a silver at the World Equestrian Games in 2006.

Zara has also previously been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year and has been nicknamed the Royal Olympian, after scooping silver in a team event for Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.

However, the 43-year-old revealed recently that her professional horse-riding career is ‘very part-time now’ so she can spend more time with her three young children.

Zara, and her husband Mike Tindall – ex-rugby player and former reality show contestant – are parents to Mia, nine, and Lena, five, and son Lucas, two.

‘I’m very part-time now,’ she told the The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine. ‘I’ve only got four horses so hopefully I have enough time to care for my children and still compete. I hope I make better decisions. I definitely don’t go to everything now.’

Zara, who is the niece of King Charles, explained: ‘When I had 15 horses I was everywhere and away every weekend but now I very much pick [events] around the kids and holidays and try to be around as much as I can be.’