British royal couple to battle for King's Cup in new regatta

[May 07, 2019]  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William will be looking for revenge when he takes on his wife Kate in a new sailing event the couple are launching to raise money for charities they support.

Kate is an experienced sailor who beat her husband, who is second in line to the throne, last time they went head-to-head on America's Cup yachts in Auckland, New Zealand in 2014.

Now the royal couple will each skipper one of eight yachts competing for The King's Cup, a trophy first presented by William's great, great grandfather King George V in 1920.

Each boat will represent one of eight charities backed by the British royals in the Land Rover sponsored regatta on August 9 in Cowes on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England.

Cowes has long-been a popular venue for sailors and royals, particularly during "Cowes Week", which dates back to 1826. The historic August regatta will this year host a new SailGP series event between six high-tech catamarans which "fly" above the water on foils at speeds approaching 90 km/hour.

William and Kate, who have both championed the physical and mental benefits of sport and outdoors activities, will launch The King's Cup at the historic Cutty Sark tea clipper at London's Greenwich, Kensington Palace said.

Child Bereavement UK, Centerpoint, the London Air Ambulance Charity 30th Anniversary Campaign, Tusk, Action on Addiction, Place2Be, the Anna Freud National Center for Children and Families, and The Royal Foundation will all be represented.

"Their Royal Highnesses hope that The King's Cup will become an annual event, bringing greater awareness to the wider benefits of sport, whist also raising support and funds for the causes that The Duke and Duchess support," it added.

Kate's support for sailing is well-established. She is royal patron of the 1851 Trust, which was set up by British sailor and five-time Olympic medalist Ben Ainslie to encourage young people to get into science, technology, engineering and maths through the sport.

Ainslie is trying to bring the America's Cup back to Britain with his INEOS Team UK campaign to beat holders Emirates Team New Zealand in futuristic "foiling" yachts in Auckland in 2021.

(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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