Henley Royal Regatta announces the names of the three new women’s events for 2026
The trophy names for the Intermediate, Club, and Student Quadruple Sculls events have been confirmed
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In a final step towards gender parity, Henley Royal Regatta announces the names of the three new Women’s quadruple sculls events in the Intermediate, Club and Student Categories at the 2026 Regatta (Tuesday, 30 June to Sunday, 5 July), two of which will carry royal titles following approval from Buckingham Palace.
The Princess of Wales Challenge Cup has been introduced as a new Women’s Intermediate event. This event directly mirrors its Open equivalent, The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup, and will expand opportunities for the best club and student female scullers below the Premier (senior national team / Olympic) level. More importantly, the name evokes the strength associated with the iconic women who have held the title of HRH Princess of Wales whilst capturing the contemporary nature of the new event.
The Danesfield Challenge Cup will be the second Women’s Club event following The Wargrave Challenge Cup for Women’s Club eights, introduced in 2021. The Danesfield name has three significant connections to the Regatta. First, Danesfield House is situated on the same site as Celtic tribes famous for their formidable female warriors who put fear into the minds of Roman occupiers. Henley Royal Regatta hopes this event will see a continuum of ‘warrior’ spirited women associated with this name. Second, Danesfield House was also the wartime centre of photographic intelligence where women played a decisive and highly skilled role during the Second World War. Finally, it was the home of the Garton family; John Garton was an inspirational Chairman of Henley Royal Regatta through the 1960s and 1970s, successfully navigating the event through financial turmoil.
The third new event, The Queen Victoria Challenge Cup is the new Women’s Student event. This event sits alongside the Open equivalent, The Prince Albert Challenge Cup. Both ‘The Victoria’ and ‘The Albert’ provide an opportunity for universities to compete at Henley Royal Regatta with four rowers rather than eight. Most importantly, ‘Queen Victoria’ is globally recognised for longevity, modernising, and heritage. All qualities that Henley Royal Regatta aspires to.
Honouring these new events celebrates the history of female excellence, precision, and leadership, aligning the Regatta’s competitive structure with its broader commitment to equity and recognition.
In addition, female scullers can now progress through the Regatta from Junior to the Olympic-level Premier category, creating a pathway that should have a positive impact on women’s sculling for all schools, universities and clubs that compete at Henley Royal Regatta.
Women can now compete in 14 events, with 10 new Women’s events added since 2017, paving the way for an equal number of Open and Women’s events at the 2027 Regatta, achieving gender parity by event for the first time. This highlights the Regatta’s ongoing commitment to creating a competitive racing programme that fosters inclusivity, equity, and recognition.
Committee member and Olympic medallist, Jess Eddie said: “The introduction of three new women’s events represents a significant step forward in creating greater opportunities and pathways for female athletes at all levels. The Princess of Wales, Danesfield and Queen Victoria Challenge Cups will not only celebrate rowing heritage but will also honour successful and powerful women throughout history and today. And we are really excited about revealing the three trophies closer to the Regatta.”
Richard Phelps, Chair of the Committee of Henley Royal Regatta said: “We are thrilled that Buckingham Palace approved the names of these new events. It confirms the strong links between the British Royal family and the Regatta since we received royal patronage over 150 years ago from Prince Albert in 1851. How fitting that ‘Prince Albert’ and ‘Queen Victoria’ are back together on the hallowed waters of Henley Royal Regatta. These three new events ensure our competitive programme is more inclusive and balanced than ever before, while maintaining the high standards and traditions of the Regatta.”
Henley Royal Regatta’s vision aims to broaden its appeal, establishing itself as the premier international regatta and an iconic British sporting event for both rowers and spectators alike. With a focus on gender parity, inclusivity and enhanced experiences, Henley Royal Regatta is poised to continue breaking barriers and redefining excellence both on and off the water.
This trophy news follows the announcement that Henley Royal Regatta will formally include the Scottish Rowing Championships as an event whose results will be used in assessing crews for pre-qualification for the 2026 Henley Royal Regatta.
