Last weekend was a difficult one for the Royal Family, as they said a sad farewell to Prince Philip, the Queen's husband, who recently died at the age of 99. Due to coronavirus restrictions, the funeral was only able to have 30 guests in attendance, one of whom was Lady Louise Windsor (Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex's daughter, the Queen and Philip's granddaughter). At just seventeen-years-old, she was one of the youngest there.
It's evident that Louise and her grandfather were especially close – as not only was Philip pictured watching Louise compete in equestrian events in the past, but the Duke of Edinburgh also left her some incredibly personal and special gifts following his passing.
Both Louise and Philip shared a love of carriage driving and Prince Philip paid homage to their bond by leaving Lady Windsor his two Fell ponies, Balmoral Nevis and Notlaw Storm, and his dark green four-wheeled carriage, which was seen during the televised funeral last Saturday.
The carriage was the Duke's most recent one and had been in his possession for around eight years. He often enjoyed riding it around the grounds of Windsor Castle and various other royal estates and is believed to have greatly encouraged Louise in her own pursuit of the sport.
During the funeral, the carriage was seen carrying the Duke's cap, whip and brown gloves – a stark and poignant image that will no doubt stay with the 13.6 million who tuned in to follow the coverage over the weekend for some time.
While paying her respects to Prince Philip at his funeral, Lady Louise Windsor also gave a nod to their mutual passion by wearing a brooch featuring a horse head design on it.
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Commenting on her daughter's ability to carriage drive, Sophie Wessex said in an interview last May that her talent was a natural one (maybe even hereditary)."I trail in her wake frankly. She is naturally so good at it, she really is. It's something that she has taken to very well."
Our thoughts continue to be with Lady Louise Windsor and the entire Royal Family following the very sad death of Prince Philip.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
