Enda Kenny teams up with Bear Grylls to win charity boat race

Mr Kenny took part in a two-day charity sailing event off the Isle of Wight, which saw him and his teammate, adventurer Bear Grylls, lift the trophy for first place.

Enda Kenny teams up with Bear Grylls to win charity boat race

Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny might have retired from the front benches of political life but he still has a place to the fore of public life, where he competes in yacht races with the likes of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Mr Kenny took part in a two-day charity sailing event off the Isle of Wight, which saw him and his teammate, adventurer Bear Grylls, lift the trophy for first place.

He was racing in the augural regatta of The King’s Cup, a race that was set up to raise awareness and funds for eight charities supported by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Mr Kenny and Bear Grylls were representing Tusk, a wildlife and conservation charity. Their boat came in first, ahead of the BBC’s Dan Snow. Third place went to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s boat finished last. For her performance, she was literally presented with a giant wooden spoon.

Each boat had a celebrity ambassador and captain. Other public figures who took part included England footballer Fara Williams, comedian John Bishop, and Olympic rower Helen Glover.

The Duke of Cambridge and The Duchess of Cambridge watch on as Bear Grylls is awarded the King's Cup during the prize giving following the the King's Cup regatta at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
The Duke of Cambridge and The Duchess of Cambridge watch on as Bear Grylls is awarded the King's Cup during the prize giving following the the King's Cup regatta at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

Kensington Palace released photos of the prize-giving on social media. They showed Mr Kenny lifting the trophy alongside Bear Grylls. Another photo showed the former taoiseach attending the prize-giving, standing next to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Mr Kenny was not only racing royals but he had a royal audience too, as two of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children - George and Charlotte - watched the regatta alongside their grandparents, Carole and Michael Middleton.

The young princess seems to have got herself into a spot of bother with her mother as she stuck her tongue out at guests from a viewing window.

It is hoped that this inaugural regatta, which had an audience of 800 people, will become an annual event.

The race was not the first time the Mayo TD has had an opportunity to brush sporting shoulders with royalty.

In July of last year, he joined Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a polo match sponsored by Japanese NGO International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS), which raised €1.1 million for children affected by HIV.

Mr Kenny is a patron of ISPS, an organisation which seeks to inspire through sport.

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