Duchess of Cambridge helps Team GB to victory in Commonwealth yacht race

Ben Carnegie-Bedlow, a 12-year-old schoolboy from Jersey, showed her how to sew the delicate plants.

“She did it just right,” he said. “It was a good job. She asked me if I was interested in sailing and I sail too. I also really like the ocean.”

Carnegie Bedlow, 12, of St Helier in Jersey, added: “I was a little nervous but she did what I told her and she was very good. She asked me if I was interested in sailing. I do sailing camps in the summer, I love the ocean.”

The Duchess’s mat will be part of an ambitious plan by the National Marine Aquarium (NMA) to restore four acres of lost seagrass meadows, equivalent to ten football fields.

The NMA says eelgrass is critical to the health of UK waters, providing a haven for commercial fish as well as rare marine animals such as seahorses and stalked jellyfish.