Lady Louise Windsor to inherit Prince Philip's beloved carriage and ponies as she shared his love for sport
Prince Philip's love for carriage driving and ponies is not unknown. He was competing well into his eighties and even modified a carriage to suit his specifications at the age of 91. To those wondering what happens to his carriages and horses, it has been reported that Lady Louise Windsor will most likely inherit them.
The 17-year-old has taken after her late grandfather and was even seen carriage driving in Windsor as recently as last week.
Lady Louise was one of the 30 guests at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral on Saturday, and paid a special tribute to her late grandfather with her outfit. She wore an equestrian brooch in a nod to her and Philip's shared passion for horse riding, in particular carriage riding, which the teenager has taken up in recent years.
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Philip left behind his polished dark green four-wheeled carriage and his Fell ponies - Balmoral Nevis and Notlaw Storm, and these are reportedly going to be passed on to Lady Louise - a member of the royal family who shared his love for carriage-driving.
Louise is the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
On the day of Philip's funeral, the two beloved Fell ponies were seen pulling their late master's carriage. His driving cap, gloves, and blanket were on the seat of the carriage. On the morning he died, Lady Louise was seen in Windsor Great Park in his carriage. She paid tribute to her late grandfather by putting the ponies through their paces.
According to sources, she will continue to regularly exercise the two black ponies at Windsor. In 2019, Prince Philip watched his granddaughter take part in a carriage driving competition in the Private Driving Singles carriage drive during the Royal Windsor Horse Show, in which she came third. He had taught the sport to Lady Louise, as well as to her mother.
In an interview last May, Louise's mother, the Countess of Wessex, reportedly said of her daughter's carriage driving talents, "She is naturally so good at it, she really is. It's something that she has taken to very well."
It was in his fifties in 1971, that the Duke took up carriage-driving, switching from polo due to his 'dodgy' arthritic wrist. He had decided to pick up a new sport to focus on. "I suppose I could have left it at that, but I have never felt comfortable as a spectator," he had said. "It then suddenly occurred to me that this carriage-driving might be just the sport."
He also famously said, "I am getting old, my reactions are getting slower, and my memory is unreliable, but I have never lost the sheer pleasure of driving a team through the British countryside."
To date, he is credited with shaping the sport in the UK. He represented Britain well into his eighties in three European championships and six world championships in total. The Duke designed many of his own carriages that he would regularly drive through the vast grounds of the royal estates. At the age of 91, the prince had the dark green carriage made to his specifications out of aluminium and steel, adhering from his knowledge of the rules set by the Federation Equestre Internationale (IEF).
The carriage can seat four people at maximum capacity and can harness up to eight horses.