Smiling Queen brushes off health fears to watch her beloved horses compete

13 May 2022, 11:20 | Updated: 13 May 2022, 12:01

The Queen has arrived at the Royal Windsor Horse Show to watch her animals take to the parade ring.

Her Majesty was pictured talking to festival goers as she arrived in a Range Rover at one of her favourite events of the year.

The Monarch has attended every edition of the show since it began 1943 and members of the Royal Family will be in attendance each evening over the weekend as part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.

She sat in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, casually dressed in a white blouse and a blue cardigan-style top and wearing sunglasses.

Read more: 'We can foresee clearly now a King Charles' as doubt cast over Queen's Jubilee attendance

As the Range Rover pulled up near the parade ring, the Queen spoke to a small group, thought to be officials from the show, through the open car window.

She appeared relaxed, smiling and laughing as she chatted, while just a few feet away dozens of photographers tried to capture the moment.

Inside the parade ring, horses were put through their paces as relaxing classical music was played over the public address system.

Dozens of members of the public were also keen to have a memento of the occasion, holding up camera phones to record their glimpse of the Queen.

The Queen chose to visit her own horses after a race where five-year-old gelding First Responder was meant compete was suddenly called off. 

The royal show has a star-studded line up for it's Sunday night finale Dame Helen Mirren, Damian Lewis, Omid Djalili and Tom Cruise .

The evening theatrical arena, aptly named ‘A Gallop through History’, will reflect on Her Majesty’s love of horses and will showcase 500 horses, 1300 performers and a tri-service orchestra supported by members of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Read more: Historic first as emotional Charles delivers Queen's Speech after Monarch pulls out

The monarch was last seen in public when she attended a service commemorating the life of her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in March with senior royals and a congregation of hundreds.

She reached her Platinum Jubilee in February, overcame a bout of Covid after testing positive that month, and celebrated her 96th birthday on April 21 privately at her Sandringham estate.

Last October, she spent a night in hospital and over the following three months was under doctors' orders to only conduct light duties so missed a number of prominent events.

The Queen has been using a walking stick in public since she attended a service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion last October.

Created especially for Royal Windsor Horse Show, ‘Land of Fire’ – Azerbaijan and the Karabakh Horse will be performed by members of the Equestrian Federation of Azerbaijan on Friday afternoon.

This erarely seen display will consist of 15 horses and riders performing on the Karabakh horses at a gallop to highlight the cultural heritage of the region, and demonstrate the "heroism, courage and peacefulness" of the Azerbaijan people.