Though it will not be quite like that for their parents. Liz, a chiropodist, and her husband Mike have been watching their twins intently ever since they first picked up an oar as 12-year-olds at Lady Eleanor Holles School in London, just down the Thames from Hampton School where Mike works as the bursar. Rowing was, for two sporty young girls, love almost at first sight. Though for their parents it represented a significant commitment.
“From the start, our parents were our taxi drivers, therapists and biggest supporters,” says Catherine. “It was a huge thing for them. There were weekend competitions, there was rowing training almost every night. They were renowned everywhere we went as insanely supportive, the keenest parents, there at every race.”
And the Kings followed their daughters as they progressed to Cambridge University, where both studied natural sciences, Gemma at St John’s, Catherine at Gonville and Caius.
“Initially when we first went up to Cambridge we were in the lightweight crew because of our size, we’re not that big,” says Gemma. “We’d always spent so much time together, but we went to different colleges and had pretty separate lives. We came together for the rowing.”
The pair were, however, sufficiently talented that despite their scale they were selected for the Blondie boat, the women’s second eight, for the 2020 Boat Race. To their huge disappointment, the event was cancelled because of Covid. But they were back the following year, albeit when it was raced under lockdown at Ely, with a very limited crowd.
“I think we were allowed two supporters each, so it was obvious who was coming, yes our parents were there,” says Catherine. “But it was a very odd setting.”
Fortunately for the Kings, their daughters made it to the Blondie crew the following year when the race returned to Putney. With Gemma in the second seat and Catherine at No 4, they won by a record distance, a wonderful, proud family moment.
