Kate's Nautical Chic For The King's Cup Regatta Launch & "Excited" To Meet Baby Sussex

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Cutty Sark this afternoon for the launch of The King's Cup, an inaugural regatta that will take place on 9 August. The annual sailing event will see William and Kate go head to head as skippers in support of eight of their patronages.

There's been several articles suggesting William and Harry will begin to reduce their polo commitments this summer. In addition to being favourite days out for royal watchers, the polo games have raised significant sums over the years. I imagine the creation of The King's Cup will serve similarly as an important fundraising tool. William's chosen charities which will benefit are Child Bereavement UK, Centrepoint, the London Air Ambulance Charity 30th Anniversary Campaign, and Tusk. Kate will support 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.

Kensington Palace said: "The Duke and Duchess are strong advocates for sport, and have undertaken work both in the UK and overseas to highlight the positive impact that sport can have on the individual and within local communities. The Duchess in particular champions how the benefits of sport, nature and the outdoors can impact childhood development, and lead to improved physical and mental wellbeing for all. Their Royal Highnesses hope that The King’s Cup will become an annual event, bringing greater awareness to the wider benefits of sport, whist also raising support and funds for the causes that the Duke and Duchess support."

The winning team will be awarded The King’s Cup, first presented by King George V at Cowes’ Royal Yacht Squadron in 1920.

Kate was given a beautiful bunch of flowers.

Following William and Kate's arrival, talk very quickly turned to the arrival of Baby Sussex. William said: "Obviously thrilled, absolutely thrilled, and looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down. I'm very pleased and glad to welcome my own brother into the sleep deprivation society that is parenting." There's a very sweet moment when Kate turns to William and says "I'm not an uncle".

Kate added: "It's such a special time, obviously with Louis and Charlotte just having their birthdays, it's such a great time of year to have a baby. Spring is in the air. As William said, we look forward to meeting him and finding out what his name is going to be. It's really exciting for both of them and wishing them all the best. This next few weeks is always a bit daunting, the first time round, so we wish them all the best"

To launch the regatta, the couple joined children from their chosen charities as they participated in a simulated sailing race.

An overview.

They were joined by Sam and Ethan from Kate's patronage Place2Be.

William enjoying the event.

There's terrific footage from the simulation in the video below.

The Duchess with representatives and children from Place2Be.

William and Kate were shown the cup the winning team will receive in August.

The Palace continued: "The King’s Cup, which is being sponsored by Land Rover, will take place ahead of Lendy Cowes Week. Members of the public can watch the race from the SailGP Race Village along Cowes foreshore, which is free to access and will include an 800-seater grandstand. Footage from the race will play on screens across the town and there will be a number of family-friendly activities and exhibits to promote sailing around the event, including initiatives and programmes for children and young people."

Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship which was built on the River Clyde in 1869. It was considered a leading example of maritime technology. It was named after Cutty-sark, the nickname of the witch Nannie Dee in Robert Burns's 1791 poem Tam o' Shanter. The historic ship is the world's last surviving tea clipper (a 19th century merchant vessel known for its speed). 

More from Royal Museums Greenwich:

'Cutty Sark’s first voyage began on 16 February 1870. The ship was bound for Shanghai, with 1,305,812 lbs of tea on board. That’s the equivalent of about 47 double decker buses! After successfully making it to China, the ship’s first voyage ended with a return to London on 13 October 1870. Cutty Sark completed eight trips to China for tea, but never got to be the fastest ship on the tea trade. 

With the arrival of steam ships and the opening of the Suez Canal, Cutty Sark had to find other goods to transport. Cutty Sark collected her last Chinese tea cargo in 1877. From this point on, Cutty Sark crew was thrown into turmoil.

A new captain, James Wallace, took over command of the ship. His first mate Sidney Smith was a bully which led to unhappiness amongst the crew. The ship took different cargoes around the world, from coal to Australian mail. Sidney Smith killed seaman John Francis and was confined but the captain helped him escape. The crew went on strike in anger, and a lack of winds found the crew becalmed in the Java Sea for three days.

Before long, Captain Wallace realised his career was finished. He jumped overboard, and his body was lost. Despite this period of turmoil, it resulted in a new captain and first mate, who would bring the ship into its most successful period of working life.'

Cutty Sark was preserved as a museum ship, and has since become a popular tourist attraction, and part of the National Historic Fleet. CNN reports: "The Cutty Sark was devastated by fire in May 2007 but a £50 million ($81 million) restoration project has seen the historic vessel returned to its previous majestic glory. The 143-year-old vessel is the world's last surviving tea clipper - a type of nineteenth century merchant sailing ship renowned for its speed - and was once considered the epitome of commercial maritime technology." The Queen and Prince Philip attended the reopening in 2012.

Before departing, the Duke and Duchess greeted well-wishers outside.

Click here to visit The King's Cup website.

Kate perfected nautical chic today. The ensemble was incredibly appropriate for the event and effortlessly stylish. It's fun to see Kate incorporating trousers into her wardrobe for official events. Today's look hit all the right notes.

It is thought Kate's fitted breton top may be by Swedish brand Arket.

 Laura swiftly identified Kate's navy trousers as the £150 LK Bennett Parker style. Described as: "Inspired by vintage design, the Parker high-waisted trousers are a modern take on 70s tailoring. Detailed with four buttons across the high waist". They are available in very limited sizing at John Lewis and Next.

The Duchess injected a pop of colour with her red Emmy London clutch.

Middleton Maven suggests Kate wore the Emmy London Josie Block Heel Pointed Shoe in custom navy.

 They feature padded insoles and a 7.5 cm block heel.

And accessorised with Diana's sapphire and diamond earrings.

We'll see the Duke and Duchess for engagements in Anglesey tomorrow!