Royal Family Reveals Rare Fact About King Charles Amid Surprise Outing in Scotland

The King has also passed down the passion to his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry

King Charles is a man of many hobbies...and a surprise scuba diver!

On Friday, the monarch paid an unannounced visit to the Global Underwater Hub in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. King Charles, 74, checked out exhibits on underwater diving technology, underwater 3D image capturing and eco-friendly artificial reefs, and he mingled with officials and senior students from the nearby Mintlaw Academy.

The Global Underwater Hub is the leading trade and industry development body for the underwater sectors in the United Kingdom and represents businesses operating in the U.K.’s $9.7 billion underwater industry. The organization’s office is an hour's drive from Balmoral Castle, where the King and Queen Camilla might have spent the week following their three-day state visit to France.

In honor of the surprise stop, the royal family recapped some of the sovereign’s past scuba diving adventures — and revealed a rare fact!

Related: Prince Harry Is 'Like a Brother,' Says Invictus Athlete, Shares Their Special Hawaii Scuba Trip (Exclusive)

"Did you know that The King is the first British monarch to be a qualified diver? In 1975, His Majesty undertook a half-hour dive under Arctic ice at Resolute Bay, Canada,” courtiers wrote on X, posting a throwback photo of Charles suited up in scuba gear for the icy dive.

“Years later, The King dived underwater onto the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's warship, nine times before it was raised from the seabed in 1982,” read a second message, along with a shot from one of Charles’ diving excursions.

Related: Kate Middleton and Prince William Take Off from Belize as They Share Surprise Video of Secret Day Trip

While the King’s interests in gardening, organic farming and the outdoors are well-known, his scuba skills remain more under the radar — but he’s passed down the passion to his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

During their Caribbean tour last year, Prince William and Kate Middleton surprised fans by sharing footage from a private scuba dive they took at South Water Caye during their time away.

In an upbeat video, the royal couple jumped into the water in scuba gear and explored the Belize Barrier Reef. At one point, they exchanged the "OK" symbol while swimming side-by-side.

"On Sunday, we were lucky enough to spend time diving at South Water Caye, directly above the spectacular Belize Barrier Reef. It was a privilege to see for ourselves the world-leading ocean conservation work being done here," they captioned the clip on Instagram.

"Belize is home to the second-largest barrier reef in the world. While the effects of climate change are evident, the Government of Belize and communities across the country deserve huge recognition for their efforts to restore this incredible marine environment - with a commitment to protect 30% of it by 2030," it read.

More recently, Prince Harry went scuba diving with U.S. Navy veteran Gabriel George in Hawaii in November 2022 after clicking over the interest at the Invictus Games at The Hague in The Netherlands. The international sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans was held in April 2022 after COVID-related delays, and cameras filmed the epic event for the new limited series Heart of Invictus, now streaming on Netflix.

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Camera crews also tagged along for the Duke of Sussex’s scuba dive with George, which is featured in Heart of Invictus (spoiler alert!). George’s right arm was paralyzed in a 2008 motorcycle accident, later leading to an amputation. He told PEOPLE that diving is uniquely therapeutic for his chronic shoulder pain, as the plunge provides relief and release.

"I got to talk a lot about that with Harry. He was able to understand and to relate,” he told PEOPLE.

“Once he hit the water, it was like I had another buddy. Swimming around, having a good time. You could see the smiles through the bubbles and all that stuff,” he says of the adventure with the Duke of Sussex.

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