Team William, Kate and Harry to lead royal Olympics charge The Duke and Duchess and Prince Harry will be joined by the Princess Royal and the Duchess of Cornwall to support the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, who will compete on her horse High Kingdom in the three-day eventing at Greenwich Park. The young royals are also expected to cheer on the British cyclist Mark Cavendish, who is among the favourites to take gold in the men's cycling road race on Saturday, which begins and finishes by Buckingham Palace on the Mall. All three will welcome the Olympic Torch relay to Buckingham Palace on Thursday, the day before the Games's opening ceremony and they will also visit British and Commonwealth athletes and their families in the Olympic "team houses." A royal aide said: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have been tremendously excited about the Olympics for a long time and want to throw themselves in to the Games and help out as much as they can. They will be out and about for much of the two weeks, but as well as watching the sports and meeting many of the athletes and visiting dignitaries, they hope to meet a whole cross-section of people, from volunteers to cooks in the Olympic village, who will make the Games a success. All senior members of the Royal Family will attend Friday night's opening ceremony following a Buckingham Palace reception hosted by the Queen for foreign heads of state and government attending the Games. On Saturday, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will tour the Olympic Park. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will also attend events during the opening few days of the Games, before heading to Scotland for their annual summer break. The Olympics are being seen within the Royal household as an opportunity for the young royals to take on more prominent official duties. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will also attend several events. A royal aide said: "The Queen and Prince of Wales will be active in the first few days, and then the younger royals will lead the way in taking up the Olympic baton." The Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Princess Anne will make up the royal party attending the Closing Ceremony on August 12. The Queen and Prince Philip are also due to host a reception at Buckingham Palace for members of the International Olympic Committee on Monday.