The Earl and Countess of Wessex lent their support to the Royal Windsor Horse Show over the weekend as it took place virtually for the first time in its history due to the coronavirus. As Royal Vice Presidents of one of the Queen's favourite annual events, the couple took part in a rare interview and opened up about their daughter Lady Louise, who debuted as a carriage driver at the event in 2017.
"Today, being Sunday, you ma'am would have competed in the private driving. You would have gone for a beautiful drive. But actually, you would have been led in by the reigning young driver national champion, Lady Louise," said commentator Nick Brooks-Ward.
Sophie and Lady Louise are regulars at the Royal Windsor Horse Show
A blushing Sophie said: "Absolutely, I trail in her wake frankly. No, she is naturally so good at it, she really is. It's something that she has taken to very well."
SEE: 15 glorious photos of the Queen at her favourite horse event of the year
Revealing Louise would not have taken part in the competition this year, she said: "Yeah, she wouldn't have been able to compete this year because she would have been in the middle of exams but it's a lovely thing to do. To actually participate in the horse show you know, has been a really special thing for her to do and in fact, actually, the first time she participated was of course in the pageant, which she adored," she added.
Like the Queen and Prince Philip, Lady Louise is a huge fan of horse riding. She has been often pictured showing off her equestrian skills, competing in the British Driving Society Championship for Young Drivers. Her grandfather Prince Philip was very instrumental in the development of carriage driving and has represented Britain in three European championships and six world championships.
Sophie and Edward have two children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn
Lady Louise, 16, tends to usually stay out of the limelight with her younger brother James, Viscount Severn. Speaking about trying to give their children a normal upbringing, the Countess of Wessex previously said: "Certainly when they were very young we tried to keep them out of it. Only because for their sake, to grow up as normally as possible, we felt was quite important. And they're going to have to go out and get a job and earn a living later on in life and if they've had as normal a start in life they possibly can get, then hopefully that will stand them in good stead."