HRH The Princess Royal officially fired the starting gun for North Sails Cowes Week 2026 yesterday (Sunday), marking the beginning of racing in the regatta’s historic bicentenary year.
The Princess Royal fired the Royal Yacht Squadron’s historic starting cannon, sending the first fleet of the day out onto the Solent as Cowes Week celebrated 200 years since the first race was held in 1826.
The morning began with a ceremonial 21-gun salute from the Royal Yacht Squadron platform before Her Royal Highness took her place at the Squadron’s historic starting battery to fire the cannon.
For generations of sailors, the sound of the Royal Yacht Squadron guns has marked the start of racing at Cowes Week. This year’s ceremony linked the regatta’s past with its third century, exactly 200 years after just 7 yachts contested the inaugural race off Cowes.
Following the start, The Princess Royal travelled onto the Solent by motorboat to watch the bicentenary racing. She was joined by Royal Yacht Squadron Commodore Robert Bicket, the Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, the Chair of Experience Cowes and their spouses, giving her a close-up view of the more than 630 boats competing in this year’s regatta.
The visit reflected The Princess Royal’s long-standing connection with Cowes Week. As a child, she spent time aboard HMY Britannia while her father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, raced on the Solent. She later competed in the regatta herself, notably helming UKSA’s Albatross II across the finish line in 2014 ahead of sister yacht Whirlwind II, sailed by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
Today, The Princess Royal serves as Admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron, Patron of the Island Sailing Club and Patron of UKSA, and has remained a regular visitor to Cowes over many years.
Bruce Huber, Chairman Elect of Cowes Week Limited, has said:
“There could hardly have been a more fitting way to mark 200 years of Cowes Week than to see The Princess Royal fire the Royal Yacht Squadron cannon and send another generation of sailors out onto the Solent.
“Her Royal Highness has a very personal connection with Cowes Week – from watching her father race here as a girl to competing herself – and today she was able to see the Bicentenary racing at close quarters. Following the 21-gun salute, it made for an incredibly special morning and a memorable moment in the history of the regatta.”
Royal links with Cowes Week date back almost to the event’s inception. The first race took place on 10th August 1826 under the flag of the Royal Yacht Club, with King George IV presenting the King’s Cup just a year later – beginning a royal association with the regatta that has continued ever since.
North Sails Cowes Week continues until Friday (7th August), when the regatta will conclude with the return of the traditional Cowes Week fireworks over the Solent.
