The Queen indulged in one of her favourite passions over the weekend as she was pictured horse riding at Windsor Castle. Her Majesty, 91, was spotted in the grounds of Great Park with her head groom Terry Pendry, wearing jodhpurs, a thick coat and a hood to beat the chill. The monarch was in Windsor ahead of her 70th wedding anniversary on Monday, when she and Prince Philip will host a special dinner for members of their family.
A set of portraits was released to mark the couple's incredible milestone. The pictures were taken in the White Drawing Room of Windsor Castle by British photographer Matt Holyoak in early November. The Queen looks lovely in a cream day dress by Angela Kelly, which she paired with her Scarab brooch pinned to her chest; the brooch, in yellow gold, carved ruby and diamond, was a personal gift from the Duke to the Queen in 1966.
The Queen was pictured horse riding at Windsor Castle
One particularly sweet portrait shows Philip looking tenderly at his wife as they stand side-by-side, while another shows the couple standing next to each other looking straight at the camera. The monarch was a 21-year-old Princess when she married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey on 20th November 1947. She is the nation's longest reigning sovereign, having overtaken the record set by Queen Victoria, and is the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary.
Her Majesty was joined by head groom, Terry Pendry
While Prince Philip retired from public duty in August, the Queen continues to carry out various engagements. Over the years she has gradually scaled back her workload and other senior royals have stepped in on her behalf, but even in her nineties, the monarch indulges in her passion of horse riding. She had her first riding lesson at the age of three and was given her first pony, a Shetland mare named Peggy by her grandfather King George V, on her fourth birthday. It seems the youngest members of her family are also following in her footsteps; Princes Charlotte took up the reins at just 17 months old.