Duchess of Edinburgh welcomed to Guernsey as island hosts second Royal visit in as many months

Her Royal Highness has taken to the water to see some of the yachts involved in the Guernsey to Poole Small Ships Race. Credit: PA

Guernsey has welcomed another member of the Royal family to its shores as Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, visits the island ahead of a cross-channel sailing contest.

Her Royal Highness flew into Guernsey Airport on Monday morning (12 August) before heading to Crown Pier in St Peter Port to meet some of those taking part in the three-day race to Poole which starts on Tuesday.

She then went out on the water herself and took the helm of the 23-metre yacht 'Prolific' before attending a private reception and watching a 21-gun salute.

Skipper Constantinos Jensen says: "She was brilliant, she did a really good job of helming the boat, she's sailed before and I think she really enjoyed the day."

This Royal visit follows the King and Queen's tour of Guernsey and Jersey in July, the first such trip by a British monarch to the Channel Islands for nearly 20 years.

Sophie last visited Guernsey as the Countess of Wessex in 2022 to mark the 77th anniversary of the island's liberation from Nazi Occupation.

The Duchess of Edinburgh greets sailors ahead of the cross-channel race. Credit: ITV Channel

The Guernsey to Poole Small Ships Race is organised by the Association of Sail Training Organisations (ASTO), which is made up of 31 sailing charities, and around 140 young people are due to take part in 12 boats.

The Duchess of Edinburgh is the Royal Patron of the Association and the contest has been inspired by the RNLI's 200th anniversary to raise awareness of the importance of sail training.

ASTO Chief Executive Kerry McMillan explains: "We know that Guernsey provided crews for sail training passages like this one in the past and we're very much hoping to reignite that relationship with the Bailiwick and its young people."

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