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A respected equestrian, Anne, Princess Royal, riding Goodwill, during the cross country section of the Three Day Eventing at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games in Canada.
Princess Anne, riding Stevie B, falls at the water jump during the cross country equestrian event at the Badminton Horse Trials in May 1982 in Badminton Park, Gloucestershire, England. It was this fall that led to the often-quoted "naff off" comment made by Her Royal Highness to photographers.
A teenaged Lady Diana Spencer (1961–1997), who became Diana, Princess of Wales, pictured in 1974, being kissed by her pet pony, Scuffle. While Diana was never an active horsewoman, she nonetheless demonstrated a genuine love of animals.
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret (1930–2002) out riding at Ascot in June 1969. Princess Margaret's husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon is on the left, in the background. The couple divorced in 1978.
A four-year-old Prince William on his pony at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, England, in July 1986. His proud mom, Princess Diana, provides a reassuring hand.
Zara Phillips, daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, has obviously inherited her mom's love of horses. She's pictured competing in the Cornbury Park Horse Trials in Oxfordshire, England, in 2000. She's riding a novice horse called Toytown.
Their Royal Highnesses the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex take part in the 2019 King Power Royal Charity Polo Day at Billingbear Polo Club in Woking, England, to raise awareness and funds for 15 of the charities supported by both princes.
Prince Charles and Prince William in full gallop during the Dorchester Polo Trophy tournament staged in 2002 to raise funds for the British Wheelchair Sports Foundation and the Tetbury Hospital Trust at Cirencester Polo Club, England.
Charles, Prince of Wales playing polo in 1984. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921–2021) started the family tradition of playing polo by giving his son a mallet at the age of 15 and encouraging him to pursue the sport.
Princess Elizabeth feeds a horse from a trophy cup on the grounds of Windsor Castle in May 1944. The horse wears the rosette for 1st prize at the 1944 Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, as a child aged nine in 1935. The young princess fell in love with all things equestrian at an early age.
A youthful Prince Charles and Princess Anne on the hoof together in Windsor Great Park, England, around 1969.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh competes in the Carriage Driving section at the Windsor Horse Show in May 1982.
Prince Philip at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May 1987. The duke loved polo and carriage driving, which he excelled at, and was a great horseman in his own right.
King George VI (1895–1952) and Queen Elizabeth (1900–2002) at the Ascot race course on Gold Cup Day in 1952. The Queen Mother was a keen racegoer, and owned thoroughbred race horses, in much the same way Queen Elizabeth II does today.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, waves from a horse-drawn carriage with her grandson Prince Charles as she celebrates her 100th birthday in 2000. For half a century, the Queen Mother was the first lady of National Hunt racing and held an unquenchable passion for the sport.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie Rhys-Jones at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1999, the same year the couple married.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge travel down The Mall, en route to Buckingham Palace, in the 1902 State Landau horse- drawn carriage following their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.
A six-year-old toddler, Prince Harry is dwarfed by his mount, a horse being led by a Buckingham Palace aide after the Trooping the Colour in 1990.
Prince Harry in fine form as he takes part in the Audi Polo Challenge at Coworth Park Polo Club in May 2016 in Ascot, England.
Prince Harry in 2003 taking a break from working as a jackaroo cowboy—a young man working on a sheep or cattle station—mustering Charolais and shorthorn bulls on a ranch in Australia. He's wearing a traditional Akubra leather hat and rides a horse called Guardsman.
Harry and William sharing a wonderfully intimate and carefree moment together in June 2010 as they ride horses to visit a child education center in Semonkong, Lesotho.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she chats with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex as they return to Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour, also known as the Queen's Birthday Parade, in London on June 8, 2019. Neither are active horse riders, but traveling regularly in horse-drawn carriages is a necessary element of official royal duties.
Both looking resplendent, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex travel down The Mall in a horse-drawn carriage during Trooping the Colour in June 2018 in London.
Queen Elizabeth is lost in her own thoughts as she prepares to take part in the Trooping the Colour ceremony with 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Horse Guards Parade in London in 1973.
The British monarch was riding at the head of the formation when a man in the crowd fired several blanks at her from a replica pistol as she was entering Horse Guards Parade. The rapid "cracks" spooked her horse and it took all her riding skills to stop the animal from bolting. The culprit was later named as Marcus Simon Sarjeant, who was subsequently jailed for five years. He served 36 months, most of which were spent incarcerated at at Grendon Psychiatric Prison in Buckinghamshire. Burmese the horse is buried at Windsor Castle, a rare privilege.
Queen Elizabeth II riding sidesaddle on Burmese, a gift from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, during the Trooping the Colour ceremony on The Mall in London on June 13, 1981.
Alone with her steed, Queen Elizabeth II is pictured horse riding on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1982.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive at the Diamond Jubilee Pageant in Windsor in May 2012. The monarch watched a glittering pageant of hundreds of horses and over 1,000 performers from around the world during the first big celebration for her diamond jubilee.
Princess Anne returns to Buckingham Palace on horseback during the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in June 2013 in London.
Prince Charles competing in a cross country event in Cirencester, England, in 1978. He is riding a horse called Candlewick.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales inspect police horses during a visit to the New South Wales Police Mounted Unit in 2015 in Sydney, Australia.
Sources: (Horse and Hound) (Polo Weekly) (BloodHorse) (BBC) (Helpful Horse Hints)
See also: All the times the British royal family turned up in unexpected places
Generation after generation, the British royal family has shared a profound passion for horses. As a young princess, the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, demonstrated a keen interest in horses. The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh loved polo and carriage driving, which he excelled at. Prince Charles climbed into the saddle at an early age, as did Princess Anne, who even competed in equestrian competitions at Olympic level. And William and Harry both "rein" supreme on horseback.
Queen Elizabeth's love of horses has endured throughout her long life. To celebrate her 96th birthday on April 21, the Royal Windsor Horse Show shared a new photo of the Queen. She's seen wearing a dark green wool coat, holding the reins of two stunning white horses. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson revealed that the Queen would be spending her birthday celebrating privately at Sandringham, a country estate located in Norfolk which is home to the Royal Stud.
Intrigued? Then mount up, click on, and take a gallop through the British royal family's love affair with horses.
The British royal family's love affair with horses
See Queen Elizabeth celebrate her 96th birthday with her favorite four-legged friends
CELEBRITY Royalty
Generation after generation, the British royal family has shared a profound passion for horses. As a young princess, the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, demonstrated a keen interest in horses. The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh loved polo and carriage driving, which he excelled at. Prince Charles climbed into the saddle at an early age, as did Princess Anne, who even competed in equestrian competitions at Olympic level. And William and Harry both "rein" supreme on horseback.
Queen Elizabeth's love of horses has endured throughout her long life. To celebrate her 96th birthday on April 21, the Royal Windsor Horse Show shared a new photo of the Queen. She's seen wearing a dark green wool coat, holding the reins of two stunning white horses. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson revealed that the Queen would be spending her birthday celebrating privately at Sandringham, a country estate located in Norfolk which is home to the Royal Stud.
Intrigued? Then mount up, click on, and take a gallop through the British royal family's love affair with horses.