The Princess Grace Challenge Cup is a rowing

Sport rowing

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 event for women's quadruple sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta

Henley Royal Regatta

Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...

 on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 at Henley-on-Thames

Henley-on-Thames

Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is open to female crews from all eligible rowing club

Rowing club

A rowing club is a club for people interested in the sport of Rowing. Rowing clubs are usually located near a body of water, whether natural or artificial, that is large enough for manoeuvering of the shells . Clubs usually have racks to store boats and a dock to put them in the water...

s. Two or more clubs may combine to make an entry.
The event is named after Princess Grace of Monaco who was the Academy Award winning American actress Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly

Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...

. Upon marrying Rainier III, Prince of Monaco

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco , styled His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American...

 in 1956, she became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco

Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

, but was generally known as Princess Grace of Monaco. Her father John Kelly, Sr.

John B. Kelly, Sr.

John Brendan Kelly, Sr., also known as Jack Kelly, was one of the most accomplished American oarsmen in the history of the sport of rowing. He was a triple Olympic Gold Medal winner, the first to do so in the sport of rowing. He won 126 straight races in the single scull...

 was an Olympic rowing gold medal winner, and her brother John Kelly, Jr.

John B. Kelly, Jr.

John Brendan Kelly, Jr. , also known as Kell Kelly or Jack Kelly, was an accomplished oarsman, a four-time Olympian, and an Olympic medal winner. He was also the son of triple Olympic gold medal winner John B. Kelly, Sr. In 1947, Kelly was awarded the James E...

 won the Diamond Challenge Sculls

Diamond Challenge Sculls

The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England...

 at Henley in 1947 and 1949.

A year before the Princess's untimely death in 1982 she was invited to present the prizes at the Royal Regatta.

The Princess Grace Challenge Cup was first presented in 2003 by The President of the Australian Olympic Committee

Australian Olympic Committee

The Australian Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee in Australia for the Olympic Games movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds to send Australian competitors to Olympic events organised by the International Olympic Committee .-Background:The...

 John Coates

John Dowling Coates

John Dowling Coates AC is an Australian lawyer, sports administrator and businessman.He is a member of the International Olympic Committee and is the current president of the Australian Olympic Committee and chairman of the Australian Olympic Foundation.- Personal :Born in Sydney, the son of a...

. In 2004 Grace's son Prince Albert of Monaco gave out the prizes at the Royal Regatta.

Year	Champions
2009	- Leander Club & Westminster School, England
2008	- Wallingford Rowing Club & Reading University, England
2007	- South Australian Institute Of Sport, Australia
2006	- Marlow Rowing Club & University Of London, England
2005	- TSSKA Ukraine, Ukraine
2004	- Leander Club & University Of London, England
2003	- TSSKA Ukraine, Ukraine