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Prince & Princess of Wales

Storm forecast affects William and Kate’s plans for the King’s Cup

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Kensington Palace had announced that the sailing regatta highlighting charities and organisations supported by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been moved because of bad weather predictions. The King’s Cup will now take place on Thursday August 8th, a day earlier than planned, because of storms forecast for later in the week.

The inaugural regatta, which is taking place on the Isle of Wight, was due to take to the water on Friday August 9th. However, forecasts of heavy rain, thunder and lightening and winds of up to 50 miles an hour for the south of the UK that day have seen the event brought forward a day.

In a statement, Kensington Palace said ” Due to adverse weather conditions forecasted for Friday in Cowes, The King’s Cup hosted by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will now take place on Thursday 8th August at 1400hrs”.

The event will include several races between eight boats, each representing an organisation supported by William and Kate. The Duke of Cambridge has selected Child Bereavement UK and he’ll lead their team. His other picks are Centrepoint which will be represented by England football international Fara Williams, Tusk whose boat will be led by Bear Grylls and the London’s Air Ambulance Charity which will welcome historian and author, Dan Snow, to its crew.

Kate has chosen four organisations for the event, as well. The Duchess of Cambridge will lead the boat for The Royal Foundation. Her other selections include Action on Addiction whose team will include comedian John Bishop. TV presenter, Kate Thistleton, will be part of the crew representing Place2Be while Helen Glover will join the boat for the Anna Freud Centre.

Spectators wanting to see the action will be able to access the SailGP Race Village for free on the day of the event.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced the King’s Cup event in May this year and are hoping it will become an annual event.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.