Lady Louise Windsor has spent the weekend switching between a traditional horse and carriage and a sporty blue VW Polo.
The 19-year-old daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is an accomplished driver and was spotted in the grounds of the Windsor Royal Estate on Sunday enjoying a quick spin in her trusty VW.
Wearing her blonde hair neatly pinned back, the teen looked comfortable behind the wheel.
Yesterday, Lady Louise spent time enjoying the hobby she shared with her late grandfather, Prince Philip – ahead of renewing her studies.
The late Queen’s youngest granddaughter is studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, the alma matter of her cousin Prince William, and is likely to return to student accommodation in the coming weeks.
Later this month, Lady Louise Windsor, the 19-year-old daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, will return to study at St Andrews University – but looked happy behind the wheel in Windsor on Sunday
The accomplished driver and was spotted in the grounds of the Windsor estate on Sunday enjoying a quick spin in her trusty VW
A keen equestrian, she has competed in carriage-driving competitions throughout the year, and on Saturday she was dressed for the occasion in a long grey coat, with a blanket placed over her lap as she braced the early morning chill.
She looked confident as she took the reins while indulging in the hobby she shared with the late Duke of Edinburgh, who was instrumental in helping to establish carriage driving as a sport in Britain.
The daughter of the late Queen’s youngest child, Prince Edward, 59, inherited her love of carriage driving from her grandfather, and is believed to have inherited his horses following his death.
Lady Louise Windsor took to the grounds of Windsor Castle on Saturday as she embarked on the hobby she shared with her late grandfather, Prince Philip
It is believed that the late Duke of Edinburgh also taught her mother Sophie, 58, to drive a team of horses.
Following his retirement, Philip had more time to enjoy carriage driving, which had been one of his favourite past-times since the 1970s.
He raced carriages in Norfolk before going on to represent Britain at several world and European championships.
In May 2017, Prince Philip spoke about how he took up carriage driving when he stopped playing polo at the age of 50.
He said: ‘I was looking round to see what next – I didn’t know what there was available.
‘And I suddenly thought, “Well, we’ve got horses and carriages, so why don’t I have a go?” So I borrowed four horses from the stables in London, took them to Norfolk and practised and thought – why not?’
The daughter of Prince Edward is a keen equestrian like her late grandfather and has competed in carriage-driving competitions throughout the year
The Duke described how he convened a committee of equestrian experts to come up with a set of international rules for the fledgling sport of carriage driving.
He was credited with shaping the sport in the UK and was still competing in his eighties, representing Britain in three European championships and six world championships in total.
The sport involves either two or four-wheeled carriages pulled by a single horse, a tandem or four-in-hand team.
It involves dressage, time trials and a challenging obstacle course.
At the age of 91, the prince had a dark green carriage made to his specifications out of aluminium and steel.
He was seen riding the carriage around Windsor and other royal estates in the following years.
