Royally Unstoppable Queen, 95, Journeys Home From Busy Morning Of Engagements In Scotland To Attend Royal Windsor Horse Show

Jul 02, 2021 by apost team

Queen Elizabeth has returned from her official royal tour of Scotland. Royals have been doing official tours for over a century. In fact, one of the first photographs of a royal tour dates back to 1900, when Queen Victoria visited Dublin, Ireland. The tradition has been followed for generations, and as the royal family modernizes, royal tours serve as a way for the monarchy to present themselves to the rest of the world.

From South Africa to Canada to New Zealand to India, royal tours are also often used to introduce new queens and kings to their subjects. For example, Queen Elizabeth II's 1954 tour has been regarded as one of the most ambitious royal tours of all time. With the intent of introducing the new queen, Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Bermuda, Jamaica, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and Tonga, among other countries, during a six-month trip. Now that the queen's beloved husband, Prince Philip, has passed away, she will no longer be accompanied by him on royal tours.

However, the queen has not traveled alone. For her royal tour of Scotland this week, the queen was joined by her daughter, Princess Anne, and also spent time accompanied by her grandson, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William. A four-day visit marked Royal Week, and the queen engaged in various activities celebrating Scottish history, community and innovation.

Now that Royal Week has passed, the queen jetted back to England after the last morning in Scotland. Back at home, she attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Berkshire, a well-beloved staple on her yearly calendar.

Queen Elizabeth, 95, seemed to be in great spirits as she attended the opening day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Berkshire after a busy morning full of engagements in Scotland and her journey home.

The queen has been living at Windsor Castle since the onset of the pandemic. She looked elegant in a radiant teal dress and carrying one of her many trusty classic handbags for the occasion. 

She was joined at the annual event by a close confidant and friend of her late husband Prince Philip: Lady Penelope Knatchbull, the Countess of Mountbatten of Burma, aged 68. The countess, known locally as Lady Romsey, is a long-standing close friend of the royal family after Prince Philip taught her to drive a horse carriage. For years, Queen Elizabeth has invited Lady Romsey to the annual Royal Windsor Horse Show and she was also included as one of the 30 guests to Prince Philip's wedding, beating out several members of the royal family.

Also in attendance was the queen's daughter-in-law, Sophie Wessex, who wore a floor-length mint green pleated skirt paired with a navy blazer. She was among the guests pictured at the prestigious show, which has long been a favorite event of the queen and has never been missed by her. 

The queen herself could be seen beaming with joy as she watched the horse show, soaking up the atmosphere of one of her favorite equestrian events of the year from the private grounds of her Windsor home. The queen is known as a passionate equestrian and lover of horses.

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The queen has attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show every single year it was held since it began during World War II as a wartime fundraising event in 1943. Last year the show was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions in place because of it. Instead of the traditional event, an online event took place. 

Organizers were also forced to postpone the horse show back in 2001 due to ongoing cases of foot and mouth disease, an infectious disease that afflicts cloven-hoofed animals and that can be fatal. Additionally, one day of the show was once canceled in May 2016 because of extreme flooding. Aside from these few occasions, the royal horse show has always taken place and Queen Elizabeth has attended without fail.

The event has been intimately linked with the royal family since its founding. Both the queen and her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, avid equestrians and horse lovers, competed at it during their younger years. Prince Philip was a contestant at the Carriage Driving category at the Royal Windsor Horse Show for 30 years until he retired in 2003, although he won it just once in 1982. Despite this, the duke was always in high spirits just for participating.

An interesting side note regarding the history of the horse show is that it was originally devised as a horse and dog show. However, during the first show, one of the attending dogs got it in his mind to steal a piece of chicken from then King George V's, Queen Elizabeth's father, lunch plate! The organizers were so mortified by this happening that dogs were banned the following here and it has been the royal horse show ever since.

Did you already know about the Royal Windsor Horse Show? What do you think of Queen Elizabeth's dress and the event? Tell us your thoughts and pass this on!