16 MAY 2005

The royals have been enjoying an action-packed weekend at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, with the Queen opening the four-day event and her 83-year-old husband Prince Philip taking part in the carriage driving Grand Prix.

A casually dressed Prince Edward and his wife Sophie urged Philip on during the race, in which he was driving a team of four of the Queen's fell ponies. Probably the least horsey of the older Prince's four children – Princess Anne is a former Olympic equestrienne, while Charles plays polo on a regular basis – Edward was on relaxed form, laughing and joking with Sophie while they took in some of the competitive events.

And the Queen was, of course, in her element. A keen rider with an extensive stable, she was an enthusiastic spectator at the show, which began in 1943 as a charity to support the Wings For Victory war effort.

This year, participants have been relishing the new all-weather main arena, a major investment which has solved the perennial problem of the ground being either too hard or too soft for the various competitions.

The Wessexes, not particularly horsey themselves, enjoying the trials

Prince Philip, driving a team of the Queen's fell ponies, was the oldest competitor in the carriage driving Grand Prix

Herself a keen rider and horse-owner, the queen was an enthusiastic spectator at the four-day event