Princess Kate urged to return to the waves as 'confident' sportswoman

The Princess of Wales could soon be back on the water, according to sailing great Sir Ben Ainslie, who says he is “confident” he can persuade Catherine to return to competitive sailing.

The Olympic champion revealed he has kept the door open for the royal to join him again on a high-speed racing boat, years after she took part in a sailing challenge alongside his team.

“I’m hopeful we’ll be able to convince the Princess to come down for another sail,” Sir Ben told HELLO!, saying she could return through SailGP or the America’s Cup campaign in Naples next year.

“She came sailing with us on the boat in 2017 and sadly didn’t make it out to Bermuda, but we’ve always kept in touch. 

I’m pretty confident we can convince her to get back out on one of these boats sometime soon.”

The comments came as the Princess Royal launched a weekend of sailing events in Southampton, visiting the SailGP Tech Hub in her role as President of the Royal Yachting Association.

Hosted by Sir Ben and RYA Chair Sir Michael Arthur, Princess Anne explored the Emirates GBR F50 race boat, tested the SailGP simulator and learned more about the championship’s wing technology. 

She also met members of the British team and international sailors competing in the event.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist, has long admired Catherine’s sporting ability. 

The pair first met during the London 2012 Olympics and later worked together when the Princess became patron of The 1851 Trust, the youth and STEM-focused charity founded by Ainslie.

“She’s obviously a very great sportswoman across a number of sports, and super competitive,” he said.