Taking your child for their first swimming lessons is a big milestone for any parent, but it can be tricky to find a private location when you're a royal. That's why as long ago as 1938, the Queen's father King George VI built a pool at Buckingham Palace. He surprised his daughters Elizabeth and Margaret with it when the family returned from a holiday in Balmoral the following year.
There are no photos of the indoor pool itself, but pictures of the building - a former conservatory - show it has concrete plinths, a vaulted ceiling and large glass windows.
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Despite its luxurious setting, the pool was designed with practicality very much in mind. A letter from Sir Philip Sassoon, of the Ministry of Works, to the King mentioned non-slip tiles for the walkway and black markings around the edge of the pool. However, Sir Philip also suggested two bands of green, one below the level of water and another at the bottom, to add "sparkle and liveliness to the water".
The project was completed just as World War II started, and the following year, a bomb shattered all the windows in the north wing of Buckingham Palace. The pool, however, survived.
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Since then, many royals have enjoyed its water. The Queen's late husband Prince Philip, a former naval officer who made a point of keeping fit, took his daily exercise there. The couple's eldest child, Prince Charles, used it to sail model boats with his school friends. Later, Charles and his wife, Princess Diana, taught their two boys, Princes William and Harry, to swim there. Charles admitted during an event at the British Sub-Aqua Club that he used to throw William in.
"I threw him in the swimming pool on occasions. Instead of putting him off, it enthused him," he said. William's own son George was introduced to the pool as a baby, with Kate saying he "loves the water and grabs things to splash with".
But however much the royals enjoy the facilities, they don't keep them just for themselves. Members of the Staff Sports Club also have access to it.
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