I had a love hate relationship with the Royal Windsor Horse Show, which I attended for many years, as it was a wonderful place to see The Queen, off duty, enjoying her time watching her horses competing, collecting rosettes won on her behalf and spending time with friends and extended family, but it could be stressful to attend to take photos. The organisers seemed unable to understand that there were people who paid a lot of money for entrance tickets, liked to see and take photos of The Queen, stayed well away from her and followed all of the rules that were set for the press, and never considered selling their photos. We were a mystery to them, and because they didn't understand it, rather than speak to us, they tried to make things difficult and uncomfortable at times - but we continued to go, because it was worth it in the end.

The rosettes always made me smile when I saw The Queen walking back to her vehicle with them clutched in her hand, and I had a vision of her having a special room somewhere within Windsor Castle where she displayed then all on the wall, in the way that young riders do in their bedrooms after gymkhanas! Probably not, but I still smile at the vision! Her Majesty was involved in this show in some way or another every year from when it started until she died, and her influence can still be felt there today - it was her horse show, in her garden!
With horses that she had bred entered in multiple classes each year The Queen would stand for hours on end watching every one of them with a fond but critical eye, and spending a little while studying the programme for each day was a sure way of locating her on the showground. Here she would dress in comfortable country clothes and shoes, appropriate for the occasion and blended in perfectly, often going unnoticed or unrecognised by people standing almost beside her. Her silk headscarves were what marked her out here, and I loved to see which one would be worn each day, especially liking the one that commemorated her own Silver Jubilee, which I saw many times. Who else in the world could have worn that?

For many years The Queen would spend an hour or so one morning touring the stalls around the arenas, visiting specific ones to speak to the proprietors, and this provided another photo opportunity each year.

Watching Prince Philip competing in the cross country carriage driving event, driving a team of her horses, was always a priority for The Queen on the Saturday of the show, and she would follow him a round the obstacles, jumping in and out of her vehicle at each one in turn. One of my favourite memories is watching her sitting in her vehicle with one of her young great granddaughters climbing up the side to get the attention of GanGan, as she chatted with her grandson - just a normal family scenario, but with an audience.

Among my favourite horse show photographs are those taken of The Queen together with Prince Philip, walking off into the distance together, in their own extended garden, as if they were the only ones in the world - it is a perfect snapshot ff their relationship and their life in the country, away from royal duties and officialdom, and is lovely to have seen for myself.

As well as visiting the show privately almost every day  Her Majesty also attended in a more formal style to present prizes on the afternoons of the weekend days, and then she would be instantly recognisable to everyone, dressed in her smart working clothes in her usual bright colours.

The last time that I saw Her Majesty at the Royal Windsor Horse Show during the day was in 2019, when I was visiting the UK having moved to New Zealand. I attended one day on my own, and was mindful that this would probably be my last visit so I should not waste any opportunities. As we were no longer permitted to use large camera lenses on the showground I was not able to take the quality of photos that I had in the past, and was looking for another angle just to record some memories, when I thought of something. Although I had taken many photos of The Queen driving around the showground over the years, I didn't have any video of this, so I decided to take some with my phone. Knowing the route that she would take back to the castle for lunch I headed across a shortcut to the roadway to wait - on my own. Sure enough, she soon came into view in the distance, and I switched on my camera, holding it at about waist height, and stood back from the edge of the road. All I wanted was simple footage of her driving, just for myself, and if she acknowledged that she had seen me, with a wave, then that would be a bonus. I stood there as she drove slowly towards me, surprised when she then veered onto the grass, deciding to move back a bit, out of her way. I wasn't sure what she was trying to see but I didn't want to be the person in her way, that never ends well! Still she was driving towards me, and I was walking backwards as she came closer and closer. And then, coming straight alongside me she wound down her window, stopped, said Good Morning, with a beaming smile, and asked if I was having a nice day, told me it was good to see me, waved, and drove off!! That was the end of my only attempt at videoing her driving! As she had wound down the window and it had belatedly occurred to me that she was actually driving at me because she wanted to speak to me, I had turned the phone over, before stuffing it into my pocket, and the resulting video shows her approaching me but invisible as the driver, then there is my muffled voice saying Good Morning Ma'am, plenty of sky and then the inside of my pocket and some indistinct muttering! It was hilarious really when I think about it - and as my very last encounter with my Queen at the horse show it was pretty good.