Has she EVER looked so happy?
SHE is never happier than when around her beloved horses.
Little wonder, then, that the Queen was smiling broadly yesterday as she attended the first day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Held in her own backyard at Windsor Castle, the annual event is a celebration of all things equestrian.
The 92-year-old monarch could not have looked more relaxed as, flanked by only a handful of aides, she wandered around the show stands.
She also stopped off to watch from a wooden ‘royal box’ as some of the competitions, which include jumping and dressage, were taking place.
The Queen’s style was decidedly low-key – a powder blue cardigan, white blouse and tweed skirt, topped when necessary with a padded gilet. She wore discreet pearl earrings and, as ever, a black Launer handbag was carried neatly over one arm.
All that was missing was her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, 96. Prince Philip, an equally keen equestrian, is never normally absent from a show, whether as a carriage driving competitor or in recent years as a spectator.
However, he is still recuperating from having hip replacement surgery last month and it could be that the ground at Windsor was too uneven for him to risk a fall.
Still, the Queen seemed to enjoy herself immensely and was seen carrying a pink rosette after one of her horses, Sparkler, came fifth in a competition.
This year is the 75th anniversary of the show, set up in 1943 to support Wings For Victory, a campaign to buy Hurricanes and Spitfires for the RAF. As a result, the event has a wartime theme.
The Queen is expected to attend every day with members of her family at the start of what will be a busy time.
The wedding of her grandson Prince Harry to Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Saturday week will be followed by Trooping the Colour, the Order of the Garter ceremony and Royal Ascot – all in the next six weeks.
So it is not surprising that she is relishing a little ‘rest and relaxation’ this week in the grounds of her favourite official residence.