Lady Louise Windsor is an accomplished equestrian, but this weekend the royal appeared equally at ease behind the wheel of an SUV as she is driving a horse-drawn carriage.
The daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh drove herself to the final meet of the carriage-driving season at Windsor Great Park on Sunday.
Apparently ready to move beyond the days of being chauffeured to competitions, the 22-year-old looked confident as she navigated her Land Rover Discovery Sport around the Berkshire estate.
The St Andrews graduate was later joined by her supportive mother, Sophie, 61, who walked beside Lady Louise’s pony and carriage as the pair chatted warmly.
The King’s niece opted for a relaxed outfit comprising a white blouse, light grey jeans, brown ankle boots, a navy jumper and a riding helmet.
Sophie, meanwhile, looked stylish in a grey sweater, checked jacket and slim-fit white trousers tucked into boots.
Lady Louise was introduced to carriage driving by her grandfather, Prince Philip, who took her out for her first drive.
After retiring from polo in 2003, the late Duke of Edinburgh embraced carriage driving and continued competing well into his 90s.
The 22-year-old St Andrews graduate, who is currently enjoying a gap year, was later joined by her mother, Sophie, 61, as she traded her vehicle for a pony-drawn carriage
The daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh drove herself to the final meet of the carriage-driving season at Windsor Great Park on Sunday
Sophie was recently hailed as the ‘gold standard of royal duty’ following a five-day tour of Zambia, which coincided with the publication of Earl Spencer’s controversial book about Diana, Swan Song.
The former PR executive appeared relaxed as she affectionately stroked Lady Louise’s black horse while the carriage-driving season drew to a close.
Lady Louise also shares a passion for carriage driving with the late Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret.
Since taking up the sport, Lady Louise has enjoyed plenty of support from those around her, including her boyfriend, Felix da Silva-Clamp.
The 22-year-old fellow St Andrews graduate has been spotted smiling alongside his partner at several carriage-driving competitions this year, including the Sandringham Festival of Carriage Driving and Ashfields in Essex.
Author Robert Jobson recalled that “onlookers watched him punch the air as she came through the water”. The royal expert added: “Nothing royal about him, just a young man in love standing in a wet field in Essex, cheering his girlfriend on.”
The couple were first linked in 2024 and have been together since June 2025, although they have kept their relationship notably private. For a time, royal reporters simply referred to Felix as Louise’s “pal”.
They have since begun appearing together at family occasions and royal engagements, though their understated romance remains a world away from the drama surrounding other members of the royal family.
The pair reportedly became closer while rehearsing for a university play, with their friendship eventually developing into a romance.
The King’s niece opted for a casual look featuring a white blouse, light grey jeans, brown ankle boots, a navy jumper and a riding helmet
Sophie appeared relaxed and happy as she lovingly stroked Lady Louise’s black steed
Yet, even after dating for more than a year, the couple managed to keep things private.
That changed this summer when Felix joined Louise and her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, at a performance of the Zulu ballet Inala at the Edinburgh International Festival, where they were pictured chatting to cast members.
According to Mr Jobson, Felix’s background makes him well-suited for Louise, given that her mother, Sophie, originates from a middle-class background.
Born in Kensington in 2004, he is the son of London solicitor Jonathan da Silva-Clamp, a former Conservative parliamentary candidate, and Australian doctor Kendall Searle.
The family later moved to Australia, where Felix attended Melbourne Grammar School before heading to St Andrews.
He and Louise also joined the same reserve army unit and share interests including theatre and traditional Scottish dancing.
Their low-key relationship is a far cry from Prince Harry’s ‘Party Prince’ days, when his nights out stumbling out of nightclubs and relationships with former girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas regularly made headlines.
The same could be said for other relatives like Princess Eugenie, who earned a reputation in her early twenties as a regular on the London club scene, frequently photographed leaving popular West End and Mayfair hotspots.
Instead, it appears Lady Louise and Felix seem happy to keep their heads down and get on with life. And in many ways, that is very much keeping in line with Louise herself.
According to Mr Jobson, there has long been a striking resemblance between Lady Louise and her grandmother – both physically and in temperament.
He wrote: ‘Some say it is her grandmother all over again. Elizabeth made up her mind as a teenager about a Greek prince with royal blood, Philip, even though he has no money and unhelpful German relations, and never moved an inch while the courtiers sniffed.
‘Constancy and steadfastness were at the heart of her character, in marriage as in everything else, and it was perhaps underestimated.
‘Like Lady Louise, Princess Elizabeth was a quiet girl who knew exactly what she wanted when it came to love.
‘People say Lady Louise looks like her grandmother. There is a resemblance. But the likeness that matters more is not in the face.’
Before the Queen’s passing aged 96 in 2022, Louise was known as the granddaughter who spent huge amounts of time with her grandmother, regularly staying at Windsor Castle during her childhood.
