PRINCE Philip and the Princess Royal are to be asked to help bring the prestigious America's Cup competition back to the Solent.

Moves to bring the famous trophy back to Cowes - where the competition began in 1851 - stepped up a gear yesterday after a Swiss team owned by billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli crushed New Zealand's team 5-0.

The next time the famous competition is due to be staged is in 2007 - but Switzerland has no coastline to hold the event.

The Island's council will be contacting Buckingham Palace to try to enlist Prince Philip's help to bring the competition back to Cowes for the first time in more than 150 years.

Staging the event in Cowes could bring millions of pounds in revenue to the Isle of Wight and nearby ports of Southampton and Portsmouth.

Last week, The Daily Echo exclusively revealed how top politicians on the Island were calling for the famous event to return to Cowes in the event of Switzerland winning the cup - the oldest in international sport.

Already King Juan Carlos of Spain has thrown his weight behind Barcelona being a possible venue for the event.

Now the Island's council is to contact both Prince Philip and The Princess Royal to get royal backing for Cowes' bid.

Prince Philip is the admiral of the Cowes-based Royal Yacht Squadron - the most famous yacht club in the United Kingdom.

The commodore of the squadron has already sent a message to the Island's council expressing his support for a bid which has to be formally entered by December.

The Princess Royal, the president of the British Olympic Committee and president of the Royal Yachting Association, is also to be asked to back a return of the event to Cowes.

Last year, the Princess Royal helped to launch Britain's challenge for The America's Cup trophy when she named Peter Harrison's Wight Lightning in Cowes.

The flamboyant multi-millionaire has based his America's Cup challenge team in Cowes and plans to put in a fresh challenge for the trophy in 2007 - providing he can find commercial backing.