William and Kate to go head to head in sailing regatta

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will go head to head in a major sailing regatta to raise money for charity.

William and Kate, both known for their competitive streak, will go up against each other as skippers of individual sailing boats in Cowes on the Isle of Wight next month.

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.

Members of the public are invited to watch the racing from grandstands on the shore, as William and Kate compete against one another and six other teams in state of the art Fast-40 boats.

The winning team will be presented with the trophy at a public prize giving ceremony, held at the SailGP Race Village along Cowes seafront.

The Cambridges have been keen advocates of sport, undertaking work to highlight the positive impact it can have.

Kate champions how the benefits of sport, nature and the outdoors can impact childhood development, and lead to improved physical and mental wellbeing.

This will not be the first time William and Kate have indulged in some sporty royal rivalry.

Whether it is scrabble or sport, they both like to win, and they competed in a dragon boat race on Prince Edward Island in Canada on their first official overseas tour as a married couple.

William was victorious, but gave his wife an affectionate hug after her team lost out by just a few metres.

In 2017, the couple faced extra competition from William's brother Harry as he sprinted past them at a training session for runners taking part in the London Marathon.

William, who joked "oh my hamstring" before the 50-metre race, came second and was closely followed by his wife.

But despite their determination to beat one another on the track, Kate, who wore a red jacket and black jeans, laughed and hugged her husband afterwards, while Harry patted William on the back.

In 2018, Kate was left glum faced after she was beaten by William in a bandy hockey penalty shootout in Stockholm.

The couple joined a group of Swedish youngsters playing the game, which has a huge following in Sweden and has similarities to both hockey and football.

The eight boats taking part on August 9 will each represent one of the charities that are being supported this year by the couple.

These include Child Bereavement UK, Centrepoint, London's Air Ambulance Charity 30th Anniversary Campaign, and Tusk – four causes of which William is patron.

Kate 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 work on early years.

The couple hope that The King's Cup will become an annual event.