Well hello (again) sailor!
Kate’s latest meeting with yachting hero Sir Ben Ainslie and she looks jolly pleased to see him
THEY’RE both highly-competitive when it comes to sport and share a deep passion for sailing.
So it’s no surprise that the Duchess of Cambridge and Sir Ben Ainslie seem to have struck up a firm friendship.
On each of the numerous occasions they have met, the pair have displayed an easy chemistry – and yesterday was no different.
Presenting the sailor with a trophy for winning the Portsmouth leg of the America’s Cup World Series, Kate beamed as Britain’s most successful sailor listened attentively to her warm words of congratulations.
During the race, the duchess and husband Prince William had cheered on the four-times Olympic gold medallist from the front of a high-speed catamaran.
Kate and Sir Ben first met at the 2012 Olympics, when the sailor proudly showed off his gold medal.
In June 2014, Kate, royal patron of sailing charity the 1851 Trust, joined Sir Ben to launch a drive to find a crew for the UK’s bid to win the America’s Cup – the one great international sporting trophy this country has never won.
Then in May this year, the duchess took to the water with Sir Ben, 39, on a high-speed yacht ride.
Kate, 34, who has been a keen sailor since childhood, had a helping hand from Sir Ben when he secured her helmet. When they returned to dry land in Portsmouth, the sailor said that he had been ‘amazed’ at how well she had done, adding that he would happily give her a place on his team.
Last week, Sir Ben and his sports presenter wife, Georgie Thompson, 38, announced the birth of their first child, Bellatrix.