A Royal Brush with the Olympics

The newest addition to the Royal Family, the Duchess of Cambridge isn't a stranger to competitive sports. She was team captain of her college tennis and field hockey teams, and is an avid tennis player and swimmer. Kate showed her athletic chops when she met and played with Great Britain's field hockey team earlier this spring.

Prince Philip receives a souvenir medal from his wife, Princess Elizabeth, after losing a polo match to Italy in 1951.

Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh is (so far) the only member of the British Royal Family to participate in the Olympic Games. She grew up an expert horsewoman, and in 1975 won the silver medal in both the individual and team competitions at the European Three-Day Event Championships. Princess Anne went on to participate in the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal as a member of the British Three-Day Event team. In 1988, she became a member of the International Olympic Committee and she remains an avid supporter of British Olympians today.

Princess Anne participated as a member of the British equestrian team, riding 'Goodwill,' in the 1976 Summer Games.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the third child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, has been a lifelong athlete. As a prep student, he played cricket, rugby, field hockey and soccer, and in college he was a competitive skier and hockey player. An avid golfer, he co-founded the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy, a tournament to encourage the development of junior golf.

Princess Anne, representing London as 2012's Summer Olympic host, accepted the Olympic Flame from Greece at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Phillips, recently won a spot on the British equestrian team for the London Games. Like her mother, Phillips is a champion equestrian; in 2006, she won a gold medal at the World Equestrian Games, and was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Zara Phillips was slated to participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but was forced to withdrawl after an injury to her horse. She placed third in the Bramham horse trials in 2012, earning a nomination to the British Olympic Association as one of five riders on Britain's eventing team.

He's not an Olympian, but Prince Harry is a top tier athlete, playing competitive polo and rugby. While attending Sandhurst Military Academy, Prince Harry played polo for the army, and in 2004 trained as a Rugby Development Officer for the Rugby Football Union.

Like his younger brother Harry, Prince William is an avid polo and rugby player. He played rugby while attending the University of St. Andrews, and in 2006 became the President of England's Football Association.

At Eton College, Prince William took up water polo, and while attending the University of St. Andrews in 2004, he represented the Scottish national universities water polo team at the Celtic Nations tournament.

Equestrian Prince Philip has excelled at sports his entire life. He may not be an Olympian, but he is a renown horseman, and was once one of the top polo players in Britain. He also helped pioneer the sport of carriage driving, representing Britain in six world championships.

A Royal Brush with the Olympics

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