I went behind the scenes at Windsor Castle and found out what the royal family is really like

With a backdrop featuring no less than Windsor Castle itself, the Royal Windsor Horse Show is the only major event of the year to be – quite literally – in the “royals’ backyard”. 

Boasting King Charles as its patron and Prince Edward as its president, the four-day event regularly draws the likes of Princess Anne, Duchess Sophie and Lady Louise Windsor, with the private grounds of the royal residence opened to the public.

Ahead of this year’s show – which runs from 14 to 17 May – HELLO! was joined by British showjumpers and Team GB Olympians Jack Whitaker and Joe Stockdale for a day in the Castle’s grounds. 

“There’s always a good atmosphere in Windsor,” Jack explains, especially with the royals watching on. “It’s definitely somewhere we want to go and have a good show,” adds Joe. 

With that in mind, HELLO! popped down to Windsor for the day to go behind the scenes at the famous castle showground, and to see what can be expected from this year’s show. 

Royal beginnings 

Now in its 83rd year, the show was first staged in 1943 to raise funds for the war effort with the backing of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who loyally attended every year until her passing in 2022. She and her husband, Prince Philip, both huge fans of horses, were regular competitors in the show. 

Originally, the spectacle was called the Windsor Horse and Dog Show, though I was told that an unfortunate incident in 1944, which saw a lurcher dog break into the royal tent and steal a chicken leg from King George V, led to dogs being banned. 

Flash forward to 2026, and Royal Windsor is the only show in the UK to host international competitions across show jumping, dressage, carriage driving, and endurance. 

Starting our visit  

We started our day by visiting the Guards Polo Club clubhouse on Smith’s Lawn, opened by Her Majesty the late Queen in 2009. 

With views over the club’s Queen’s Ground, it featured a restaurant and bar for members and guests.

 

Even on a non-show day, the atmosphere was busy, with the polo fields in action, while some media enjoyed riding sidesaddle on the horses. (Thankfully, I was excused from this part!). 

A royal luncheon

We then headed to the prestigious Royal Box, which is regularly frequented by senior members of the Royal Family to watch the action at Windsor.

The current building was reopened by Prince Edward in 2015, and you could feel the royal influence from the start, with pictures of the late Queen and Prince Philip all around. 

There is a dress code at all times in the box: women must wear dresses, skirts or tailored trousers, while men are typically in suits. Of course, trainers or converse-style shoes are not permitted. 

HELLO! was invited to sample an example of a menu that could be presented to any member of the royal family, curated by head chef Sam Seedhouse.

The three-course menu was dubbed a “taste of the Windsor estate”, featuring an array of local and seasonal produce. 

To begin with, we were given a foraged pine needle focaccia with cultured butter. Our starter was sausage and apple tortellini made with pork from the Windsor Farm Shop, dry-cured smoked bacon and Tutts Clump Cider, a local family business based in Berkshire. 

For the main course, there was a delicious saddle of spring lamb with wild garlic, beer from the Windsor & Eton brewery, barley-glazed lamb belly, violet artichoke and gremolata. 

To top it all off, we had honey cake with macerated local strawberries (meaning they were very sour!) and hung yoghurt whipped with elderflower. As with any royal occasion, champagne was flowing throughout the meal. 

A carriage ride through private grounds…

After lunch, we were treated to a horse-drawn carriage ride through private grounds on the Windsor Great Park Estate, which is not normally open to the public. 

It felt so quiet and secluded, despite not being far from central London. We even went past the entry gates to Royal Lodge, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home. 

The carriage ride ended at the iconic copper horse statues, with views all the way down the Long Walk to Windsor Castle itself. It was a rare sunny day (the show has either brilliant blue skies or pours with rain, no in between!). 

Before turning back round to the clubhouse, we enjoyed more Pol Roger champagne, and I met our fantastic carriage horses, Ebbie and Aga. 

Which royals are attending this year?

Princess Anne, the Royal Vice President, is the only royal to have confirmed her attendance so far. She will be present on the first day of the show – 14 May. 

King Charles has attended every year, but has not confirmed his appearance for 2026. 

Jo Peck, the event director, tells HELLO!: “There’s always quite a few curveballs with Windsor, particularly with royal involvement.”

Joe added: “It’s always very secretive, it’s always a bit of a surprise whether he’s [the King] going to come. Hopefully, this year he comes down, and even better, if you get a good win, you get the chance to meet him.”

The royals’ involvement – and what they’re really like 

The Royal Windsor Horse Show was one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s passion projects, but her involvement was very “chilled out” and “relaxed”. Those who help run the show told me that she would regularly drive herself down in her Land Rover Defender whenever she pleased. 

Joe said, “That was always special. Once, I was warming up for the Grand Prix, and I was early, and she drove straight through the warm-up area into the main room to then go into the box, which was quite cool, just to see her go past and do that.”

Her husband, Prince Philip, was “very involved” too and helped bring international carriage driving to a global stage, something his granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor, 22, has continued. His designs were so inventive and modern that many are still used today. 

Lady Louise, in her final year at St Andrews University, is described by event director Jo as a “gentle soul”, “bright as a button”, and “very, very keen” on her carriage driving, while others say she “keeps herself to herself”. 

Her mother, Duchess Sophie, is also “very supportive” of carriage driving. Jo said: “She doesn’t take part in the international competition, but she does some private driving in carriages from the Mews; she can drive a carriage very comfortably, which is what Lady Louise does as well.” 

Prince Edward, meanwhile, is following in his father’s footsteps with his involvement with the show. Sophie and Edward, I am told, go “in and out” of the showgrounds as they please. He now presents the Pony Club’s mounted games prize, taking over the role from Prince Philip. 

The late Duke of Edinburgh was said to be very passionate about it. “It’s hugely important to the show,” Jo explains. “He was always quite amusing with the royal photographers, ticking them off. He loved the Pony Club’s Mounted Games; he would laugh out loud when the kids fell off or missed the items or other things they have to do.”

One very popular touch by the Edinburghs is the traditional reception for athletes they hold up at Windsor Castle on the Thursday evening before the show begins. 

Joe and Jack, who are both competing in this year’s show, attended last year. Jack said, “They do a nice reception on Thursday up at the castle. They come down and say their hellos, it’s really nice. They make sure everybody feels welcome.”

Joe added: ‘It’s a real highlight. It really sets a nice feel for the weekend before you start. They’re very passionate about the show, and you see them in the rider’s lounge talking to people and showing their interest. I think they’re doing a really good job: they’re not just behind the scenes, they’re actually on the showground.”

Jo added: “The showjumpers absolutely love that because they don’t get to do that at other shows.”

The late Queen has passed the baton on to her son, King Charles, and it has mainly been a smooth transition, though he has fewer entries in the showing classes than his mother.

Jo explains: “Last year the King came and met a few of the trade stands, watched some of the carriage driving and then went into the royal box and watched some of the displays in the main arena.”

Undoubtedly, 2026 will be just as impressive as the 82 shows that came prior. For sure, there will be more royal stories to come. 

The Royal Windsor Horse Show runs from 14 to 17 May 2026. Tickets are still available for this year’s event. For further information and to book, visit rwhs.co.uk.