Kate Middleton’s Dragon Rowing Boat Up For Sale For Charity

The rowing boat that Kate Middleton trained in on the River Thames in 2007 is now up for sale and its owners, the Sisterhood rowers, are hoping it will raise plenty of cash for charity.

The Duchess of Cambridge was expected to row in a Dragon boat for a cross-Channel race against the all-boys crew the Brotherhood. Due to security fears, she eventually had to pull out of the gruelling race but her appearance on the traditional Chinese vessel, following her brief split from William, still became infamous and is one of the defining images of her 10-year relationship with the Prince.

The photographs of her training, not on a rowing machine but on the Dragon boat with a group of feisty attractive women, became iconic.

Now the piece of magical royal history is up for grabs and the proceeds will go to the Royal Marsden Cancer charity. The all-female rowing crew are optimistic that the Dragon boat will raise as much money as the dress Kate wore during the St Andrews University fashion show which made a staggering £78,000 at auction.

Since the challenge, the boat has carried out races in the Amazon, Costa Rica and Venice. And the royals caused a stir when they went head-to-head in a river race on their post-wedding tour in Canada. Training for any race can be difficult but a First Degree Fitness Rowing Machine is a great way to improve your fitness.

The Dragon boat pictures of the 29 year-old even appeared in the Hollywood film which was published a week before the couple wed in April last year. The founder Emma Sayle is enticing Brits to buy the piece of floating history by calling it priceless as it “has been involved in more adventure, gossip, romance and good times than people have had hot dinner.”

The boat is no longer fit to compete in river races but it does need to retire to a loving home, so help raise cash for charity and simply try a Kettler rowing machine to train instead.