“The way you wrote about stepping into the starting gate with courage and no regrets says so much about your resilience,” the royal wrote

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Prince William extended his well-wishes to American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn after the Olympian’s heartbreaking crash during the Milano Cortina Winter Games in February.

Vonn, 41, suffered a severe crash in the women’s downhill race on Feb. 8, sustaining a serious injury to her left leg. She spoke in detail for the first time about the accident in an interview published Thursday, March 26, with Vanity Fair.

Vonn told the outlet that she received widespread support in the aftermath of the crash, including from the Prince of Wales.

“I was watching your recent accident in Cortina and wanted to write to send you my very best wishes,” William wrote to Vonn in a letter dated Feb. 16, a photo of which was shared on Instagram by Vonn and Vanity Fair.

“As you have often said, in downhill skiing, there are just a few inches that can determine the difference between a clean run and a serious crash,” the royal wrote. “The way you wrote about stepping into the start gate with courage and no regrets says so much about your resilience, and is one of the many reasons why you have been an inspiration to so many people throughout your illustrious career.”

“I hope your recovery is as smooth and quick as possible in the months ahead,” William wrote in the typed letter. Below that, handwritten in blue ink, William gave Vonn his “very best wishes.”

Vonn read a portion of the letter aloud in an Instagram video published Thursday, March 28, promoting Vanity Fair’s digital cover story about her accident and career. The Olympian said she received dozens of text messages and phone calls from professional athletes and celebrities after her crash in Cortina.

“Pretty much every athlete I’ve met along the way messaged me,” Vonn said in the video. Prince William’s message, she said, “took a long time to get to me, because it was actually a letter.”

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Vonn said she was surprised to discover that the prince had been watching her at the Olympics, let alone “took the time to write me a letter.”

“It means a lot,” Vonn said, “and I offered to ski with him and his family if they ever want to.”

“Maybe in a while,” she added, referencing her still-healing injuries, “but at some point.”

The British royal family is packed with avid skiers, including William. As children, he and his brother, Prince Harry, made frequent trips to the Swiss Alps with their parents, King Charles and the late Princess Diana.

In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry wrote that he has “wonderful memories” of his family’s vacations, and for years had “talked in all seriousness” of working at the ski resort in Austria, “where Mummy used to take us.” The Duke of Sussex, 41, was spotted hitting the slopes in Aspen. Colo., in December.

William and his wife, Kate Middleton, have also continued the family’s skiing tradition, taking private trips to the French Alps with their children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.

The royal couple won a legal battle with a French publisher in October, after Paris Match published photographs and details of their family’s vacation to the Alps in April. A court ruled the outlet had violated the family’s right to privacy.

“The Prince and Princess of Wales are committed to protecting their private family time and ensuring that their children can grow up without undue scrutiny and interference. They will not hesitate to take such action as is necessary to enforce those boundaries,” a spokesperson for William and Kate told PEOPLE at the time.