Sophie’s tribute to Prince Philip: Countess of Wessex honours the legacy of her much-missed father-in-law by going carriage-driving at Windsor – after he first ‘tried to teach her’ in the early days of her marriage
- Countess of Wessex played sweet tribute to her father-in-law Prince Philip today
- Sophie, 57, wrapped up warm for a spring morning in jeans and waterproof jacket which she paired with brown leather boots and a navy baseball hat
- Royal, who was joined by a female driving partner, tied her hair back into a pony tail and completed her look with leather gloves
The Countess of Wessex played sweet tribute to her father-in-law Prince Philip as she went on a carriage-drive at Windsor today.
Sophie, 57, wrapped up warm for a spring morning in jeans and waterproof jacket which she paired with brown leather boots and a navy baseball hat.
The royal, who was joined by a female driving partner, tied her hair back into a pony tail and completed her look with leather gloves.
The Queen’s daughter-in-law – who has two children Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14, with husband Prince Edward, 58, has previously explained how Prince Philip taught her carriage driving in the early days of her marriage.
Speaking at his memorial service earlier this month, she explained how the late duke enjoyed ‘chatting away’ with her daughter Lady Louise about carriage driving and how ‘he was so pleased she took up the sport’.
The Countess of Wessex played sweet tribute to her father-in-law Prince Philip as she went on a carriage-drive at Windsor today
Sophie, 57, wrapped up warm for a spring morning in jeans and waterproof jacket which she paired with brown leather boots and a navy baseball hat.
The Countess said: ‘He was so pleased when she took the sport up because I took it up… I was okay. Well I was really at the beginning of my carriage driving career when I fell pregnant with Louise.
‘So I then had to sort of hang up the reins. So I was really delighted when she decided she wanted to have a go. And my father in law was always so good at encouraging her. So When she not only said please can I have a good but then showed a flair for it he was just brilliant with her.
‘They used to chat away about it and he would always turn up if she was competing in the Great Park, he would always turn up and watch her and watch her training days.’
Lady Louise in particular enjoyed a close bond with the Duke. The teen, who is 14th in line to the throne, is an accomplished carriage driver, having followed her grandfather into the sport and her mother has said how she gained a ‘great passion’ and a ‘natural curiosity’ from her grandfather.
Following his retirement, Philip had more time to enjoy carriage-driving, which was one of his favourite past-times since the 1970s. He raced carriages near Norfolk before going on to represent Britain at several world and European championships.
Sophie, who lives at Bagshot Park in Surrey just a few miles from Windsor Castle, appears to be enjoying downtime recently and was yesterday was pictured with the rest of The Firm at the Easter Sunday service.
Sophie, who lives at Bagshot Park in Surrey, appears to be enjoying downtime recently and was yesterday was pictured with the rest of The Firm at the Easter Sunday service.
The Queen’s daughter-in-law – who has two children Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14, with husband Prince Edward, 58, is an avid carriage driver and has previously competed in the Champagne Laurent-Perrier Meet of the British Driving Society.
She was the picture of seasonal style in a £765 dress by Soler London .
Matching her mother’s spring theme, Lady Louise opted for a trendy midi-dress by Hush in pink which she paired with a cream headpiece and matching suede court heels.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex were among the senior royals in attendance at the event as the Queen, who has been experiencing mobility problems, did not attend the service.
Her daughter Lady Louise, is also a keen carriage driver and inherited her love of carriage driving from the Duke of Edinburgh, who is credited with popularising the sport in Britain. He personally taught his granddaughter.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who died on April 9, 2021, spent much of his free time carriage-driving after being forced to give up other hobbies like polo later in life.
He took great pride that Louise also enjoyed the sport and the pair were often spotted in Windsor Great Park together.
Sophie Wessex and her daughter Lady Louise Windsor were the picture of style in vibrant floral gowns as they stepped out for the annual Easter Sunday service in Windsor yesterday
Louise is continuing to follow in his footsteps: earlier this month, she competed in the British Indoor Carriage Driving Championships.
She finished sixth in the junior novice class at the event in Grantham, Lincolnshire, at the weekend.
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.
The Countess was effortlessly chic in a £765 dress by Soler London as she joined daughter Louise, 18, son James, Viscount Severn, 14, and her husband Prince Edward at St George’s Chapel
‘So I borrowed four horses from the stables in London, took them to Norfolk and practised and thought – why not?’
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.
At the age of 91, the prince had the 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.
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