Lady Louise Windsor Drives Grandfather Philip's Pony at National Championships
Lady Louise Windsor drove her late grandfather Prince Philip's pony in the cross-country marathon at the National British Carriage Driving Championships in Essex.
The 22-year-old competed aboard Balmoral Bertie, a pony that once belonged to Philip. The appearance was reported on Sept. 18.
Carriage driving is an equestrian sport in which a driver steers a horse-drawn carriage through a set course. The marathon phase runs over cross-country terrain and tests stamina and control. Philip took up the sport after retiring from polo in the 1970s and later taught it to his granddaughter, according to Town & Country.
Balmoral Bertie was part of Philip's driving team. Lady Louise inherited his driving ponies and carriage after his death in 2021. She has kept them in competition on the national circuit.
Lady Louise is the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. She is the niece of King Charles. She made her carriage-driving debut in 2017 at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, the annual equestrian competition held near Windsor Castle west of London.
She was cheered from the sidelines in Essex by Felix da Silva-Clamp. He wore a Royal Windsor Horse Show baseball cap. The two met through a student drama group at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Da Silva-Clamp was born in Kensington in London in 2004 to a London solicitor father and an Australian mother. He attended Melbourne Grammar School in Australia before enrolling at St Andrews. Lady Louise graduated from St Andrews with a degree in English literature.
Her record in the sport goes back years. She finished sixth in the junior novice division at the British Indoor Carriage Driving Championships, according to People. She has competed at the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials in Norfolk and in several Royal Windsor Horse Shows. She and da Silva-Clamp were photographed together at Sandringham in 2024.
Driving runs in the immediate family. Her mother drove her own carriage in the Pol Roger Meet of the British Driving Society event at this year's Royal Windsor Horse Show. That showcase was a highlight of the 2026 show.
What makes this stand out is continuity. Philip helped build modern carriage driving in Britain. His granddaughter is now keeping his ponies on the same kind of course.
