The Royal Family and Sport

The King, supported by working members of the Royal Family, has both enjoyed the benefits of sport himself, and has joined the nation and the wider Commonwealth in celebrating the successes of its sporting teams. 

The King

Before the Euro 2024 Final, The King extended his best wishes to the England football team for their match against Spain. 

As Head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty also shared a message at the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, congratulating athletes from Team GB and across the Commonwealth on their achievements. 

The King, when he was The Prince of Wales, played cricket, following in the footsteps of his father, The late Duke of Edinburgh, who was particularly keen on the sport.

In July 2024, The King hosted the West Indies cricket team at Buckingham Palace, ahead of their opening Test match of the summer against England at Lord’s. 

The King has a long history of playing polo, competing for Cambridge University where he was awarded a half blue and captaining a Royal Navy team against the Blues and Royals at Smith’s Lawn in Windsor. 

In 1986, His Majesty won the Queen’s Cup with Les Diables Bleus and continued to play league polo until 1994.

The Prince of Wales is also an enthusiastic polo player, participating in charity matches to raise money for his causes. 

In the past, both The King and The Prince of Wales have played together on the same team, representing Highgrove in the Dorchester Polo Trophy. 

The King was the first member of The Royal Family to be a qualified diver. In 1975, when he was Prince of Wales, His Majesty undertook a half-hour dive under Arctic ice at Resolute Bay, Canada.

Years later, the King dived underwater onto the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s warship, nine times before it was raised from the seabed in 1982.

 

The Queen

A lifelong equestrian, The Queen is Patron of the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), becoming their first Patron in 2006. Together with her husband, The King, Her Majesty is also joint Patron of The Jockey Club. 

 

In 2021, The Queen (then The Duchess of Cornwall) spoke to ITV Racing about her love of horses and equestrian sport, and her role as President of Ebony Horse Club.

Since its inception in 1996, the club has provided over 1,700 rides to more than 110 young Londoners per week, helping them learn new skills and responsibilities in the racing industry.

In 2018, when they were Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, The King and Queen officially opened the Commonwealth Games, hosted on the Gold Coast of Australia. 

During the Games, Their Majesties attended events including Basketball, Cycling and the Swimming Finals at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.

More recently, Their Majesties opened the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, arriving at the Arena in His Majesty’s sustainably-modified 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Volante convertible. Their Majesties were joined by 72 other red, white and blue cars, linked to Birmingham's car industry, that formed the Union Jack flag.

 

Earlier, in the Athletes' Village, The King met athletes competing in teams from across The Commonwealth to cheer them on ahead of the start of the Games.

 

The Prince of Wales

The Prince and Princess of Wales also have a number of patronages which reflect their love of sport.

In 2006, The Prince of Wales, a keen Aston Villa fan, became President of The Football Association, and regularly attends both FA Cup Finals and England games. 

In July 2022, The Prince was proud to present the victorious Lionesses with a trophy, following their win at the Women’s Euros 2022.

As well as supporting national football, The Prince of Wales champions grassroots football. He has previously said of the game: "At its best, football is a powerful force for good in society. It binds people from different backgrounds, communities, faiths and abilities and gives them a common interest, a unifying identity." 

 

When studying at the University of St Andrews, His Royal Highness participated in Water Polo and is now Patron of the English Schools Swimming Association. He has also recently succeeded The King as Patron of the British Sub Aqua Club.

 

The Princess of Wales

The Princess of Wales is equally passionate about sport.

A keen tennis fan, The Princess became Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2016. In this capacity, Her Royal Highness regularly presents the trophies at the Wimbledon Final.

Ahead of the 2023 Championships, HRH enjoyed a doubles rally with Roger Federer, practicing her serve with the record-breaking Wimbledon champion, before taking part in training sessions with Ball Boys and Girls. 

Reflecting her love for sailing, Her Royal Highness is Royal Patron of the 1851 Trust which aims to inspire and engage a new generation through sailing. 

The Princess demonstrated her sailing skills during the Royal Tour of New Zealand in 2014, when racing against her husband, The Duke of Cambridge, on America's Cup Yachts in Auckland Harbour with Team NZ. Previously, during her gap year in 2000, The Princess crewed on Round the World challenge boats in the Solent. 

 

The Royal Family are strong supporters of rugby. In 2023, The Prince and Princess of Wales, and The Princess Royal, joined Mike Tindall, James Haskell and Alex Payne for a special episode of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast. They participated in their respective roles as Patrons of the Welsh Rugby Union, Rugby Football Union, and Scottish Rugby Union.

The Princess Royal

The Princess Royal is an expert horsewoman. Throughout her life, Her Royal Highness has regularly taken part in the Horse of the Year Show at Wembley. 

In 1971, The Princess won the individual European Three-Day Event at Burghley and was nominated Sportswoman of the Year. Her Royal Highness was also voted the BBC's Sports Personality in 1971. 

The Princess went on to represent Great Britain in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games as a member of the British equestrian team. 

 

Her Royal Highness’s daughter, Zara, followed her mother into a successful riding career. Following success at the London 2012 Olympics, Zara was presented with a silver medal by The Princess. 

 

In 2016, The Princess Royal visited Rio to meet Team GB in her role as President of the British Olympic Association. More recently, Her Royal Highness attended events at the Paris 2024 Games including Rugby Sevens, Swimming, Equestrian, Rowing, Sailing, and Windsurfing. 

 

For over fifty years, The Princess has supported Riding for the Disabled (RDA), which offers therapy, fitness, and skills development through riding and carriage driving for children and adults with disabilities. 

 

Her Royal Highness became RDA’s Patron in 1971 and President in 1985.

 

The Duke of Edinburgh

Much of The Duke of Edinburgh’s time is dedicated to supporting sport through his patronages of GB Snowsport, Badminton Scotland, The Tennis & Rackets Association, and President of the Sport & Recreation Alliance. 

 

The Duke has supported the British Paralympic Association since visiting the Paralympic Games in Barcelona in 1992. Since becoming Royal Patron in November 2003, His Royal Highness regularly attends the Paralympic Games to support Team GB. 

 

His Royal Highness is also Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, having attended every Commonwealth Games since Edinburgh hosted the event in 1986. 

 

The Duchess of Edinburgh

The Duchess of Edinburgh is Patron of England Hockey, the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association, and the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association.

In her role as Royal Patron of British Cycling, The Duchess completed a 450-mile cycling challenge from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace in 2016, raising money for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in its 60th anniversary year.

In February 2024, together with The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duchess visited the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, to celebrate one year of their Limitless disability and para-cycling programme. 

More recently, The Duchess of Edinburgh cheered on Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in her capacity as Patron of British Cycling and British Hockey.