The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will host the inaugural regatta The King’s Cup on Friday 9th Thursday 8th August to raise awareness and funds for eight of Their Royal Highnesses’ patronages.
The event, which will take place in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, will see The Duke and Duchess go head to head as skippers of individual sailing boats, in an eight boat regatta.
Winners awarded King’s Cup
The winning team will be awarded The King’s Cup, a historic trophy first presented by King George V at Cowes’ Royal Yacht Squadron in 1920.
The eight boats taking part in The King’s Cup will each represent one of the charities that are being supported this year by Their Royal Highnesses.
Charities to benefit
These include Child Bereavement UK, Centrepoint, London’s Air Ambulance Charity 30th Anniversary Campaign, and Tusk – four causes of which The Duke is Patron.
The Duchess will support four of her patronages: Action on Addiction, Place2Be, the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, and The Royal Foundation in connection with Her Royal Highness’s longstanding work on Early Years. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will compete against one another and six other teams in state of the art Fast-40 boats. The regatta will include a number of races, and will begin at 1000hrs.
Public prize giving ceremony
The winning team will be awarded The King’s Cup trophy at a public prize giving ceremony in the early afternoon, held at the SailGP Race Village along Cowes seafront towards Egypt Point.
The King’s Cup, of which Land Rover is Presenting Partner, will take place ahead of the inaugural Cowes SailGP and Cowes Week.
Watch the race
Members of the public are invited to watch the race from the SailGP Race Village, which will be free to access and include a 500-seater grandstand. Footage from the race will play on large screens with live commentary, and there will be a number of activities for families to enjoy along the waterfront.
The Duke and Duchess are strong advocates for sport, and have undertaken work both in the UK and overseas to highlight the positive impact that sport can have on the individual and within local communities. The Duchess in particular champions how the benefits of sport, nature and the outdoors can impact childhood development, and lead to improved physical and mental wellbeing for all.
Hopes for annual event
Their Royal Highnesses hope that The King’s Cup will become an annual event, bringing greater awareness to the wider benefits of sport, whilst also raising support and funds for the causes that The Duke and Duchess support.
For more information on The King’s Cup, please visit the Website.
