Ben Ainslie was born on 5 February 1977 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, UK. He has been married to Georgie Thompson since 20 December 2014. They have one child.
He was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2001 Queen's New Years Honours List before being awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2005 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to yachting.