When competing in carriage driving, the late Duke of Edinburgh always looked in his element, and most importantly, looked the part. And it turns Prince Philip’s choice of hat was determined by the horses.
Sara Howe, who owns and runs the Bradbourne Riding & Training Centre in Sevenoaks, explained to HELLO!: “The Duke of Edinburgh wore a black top hat and when you wear a black top hat, that means you’re driving somebody else’s horses. When you wear a gray top hat, that means you’re driving your own.”
Sara pointed out the sentimental reason too: “He wore a black one because he was driving the Queen’s horses, because they were the Cleveland Bays and they were the Queen’s.”
Prince Philip took up carriage driving in the early 1970s and went on to become an ambassador for the sport, competing in various Championships. Sara first met the late Queen’s husband back when she was working for horseman Peter Munt, who used to train with Queen Elizabeth‘s husband.
“We used to go to lots of training competitions and the Duke was there training his horses while Peter was there doing his horses. So we went to lots of shows. We did barbecues and at that moment in time, we were all pulled together,” Sara recalled.
“So it was very close, but one didn’t say anything. But when you met him in the morning, you had to either curtsey or say, ‘Good morning Your Royal Highness.’ And then after you said that one, then you could say ‘Good morning, sir,’ or ‘Afternoon sir,’ or whatever it was like that.”
After Sara left working with Peter, she went on to compete as singles, pairs and four-in-hands, and found herself competing against Prince Philip, which she called an honor. “He was driving a team of Black Fells and I was driving a team of Section As,” Sara remembered. “He wanted to beat me as much as I wanted to beat him. Apart from competing, then all of us would be quite friendly and chat, but he always had his bodyguards, so you always knew. He would come in and then slightly be ushered out of the way.”
While he was competitive, the Duke, known for his sense of humor, would “very much” have them laughing. Sara shared: “There was no nonsense. When we were talking about how the horses went and I tended to waffle a little bit and say, ‘Well, I could have done this better or…’ he would slightly say, ‘Well, you either can or you can’t.’ And I would say, ‘How did your horses [go]?’ And he’d say, ‘They’ve been bloody nuisances today,’ and he’s going to sort them out and things. But yes, very direct, to the point. But he loved his competing and loved his ponies.”
The Prince was also greatly respected by his team members. “When we did the team, I would say that the Duke wasn’t always going to necessarily be the winner, but he’d always finish. He was always loyal. He wasn’t mad and silly and took all the risks, but you could guarantee he would finish,” Sara said, noting that Prince Philip “always finished and everybody had huge respect for that”.
© Anwar Hussein/Getty ImagesAlthough King Charles‘ father retired from competing in the sport in 2003, he continued to drive a carriage into his 90s. His youngest granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor, has followed in his carriage-driving footsteps and now competes. Months after her grandfather’s death in 2021, Louise was seen driving the Duke’s carriage around the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Sara described Philip as “a very good ambassador”, noting that he “had that charm and talent with the horses”.
© Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty ImagesWith his granddaughter stepping into his shoes and bringing attention to the sport, Sara said: “It’s very useful for us in our driving world because our sport is so small, and we need to pull people in and hopefully people want to go and see her. People want to compete against her.”
Sara added: “She’s on the same keel as everyone else. No one else cares who she is. You’re out there, you’re competing and that’s a little bit like the Duke. He’s got a lot of rank, but out on that playing field, we’re all on level keel, aren’t we? So let the best man win.”
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