Last week Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday and millions across the country joined in congratulating her on this special occasion. Of these 90 years, 64 have been spent on the throne, an astonishing achievement and milestone. Next month, SHERENE MELINDA will be getting involved in the celebrations by joining Her Majesty and thousands of others at The Royal Windsor Horse Show, an occasion dedicated to the Queen, equestrian events and luxury shopping.
What is The Royal Windsor Horse Show?
It is an annual event held in Windsor, showcasing horse-riding sporting events including international driving, endurance, jumping and national dressage and jumping. This year’s show will be a special event to celebrate the Queen turning 90 and will be attended by the Queen herself.
How will they be celebrating?
The Queen’s birthday will be commemorated with a 90-minute show featuring 900 horses and 1,800 participants. It will be a reenactment of her life to date, beginning with her birth and covering the events of World War II, her marriage, eventual coronation and highlights from her 60-year-reign.
The show will be produced using video projection, LED effects and theatrical lighting, making for quite the spectacle. It will be reenacted using horses, actors, bands and dancers and managed by the same team who did the Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
The Queen’s life
The show has the difficult task of condensing 90 years of a busy and important lady’s life in to 90 minutes. Here is a quick snapshot of Queen Elizabeth’s life and some of the events that the show will cover.
On the 21st April 1926, Queen Elizabeth was born in Mayfair at 02.40 AM. She was born 3rd in line to the throne after her Uncle Prince Edward and father Prince Albert (pictured below). In 1936, the Queen’s uncle Prince Edward ascended to the throne after the death of her grandfather George V.
He later abdicated in the same year after a dispute between himself and the elected government of the time over his desired marriage to an American woman called Wallis Simpson, who was twice divorced. This led to his younger brother Prince Albert’s (Elizabeth’s father) coronation, upon which he changed his name to George VI, thus placing Elizabeth in the position of heir presumptive at 10 years old.
This rather abrupt change of proceedings meant that Elizabeth’s position in the public eye would become more important from that point. In 1940, at just 14 years old, she made her first public address on the BBC children’s programme (listen below), sending a message of support to all of Britain during the time of war, particularly to those being evacuated for safety reasons. By this time, she herself had been evacuated to Windsor Castle, where she remained throughout the majority of the war for her own safety and preservation.
After the war ended, Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten (now Prince) on the 20th November 1947. It was a simple wedding ceremony, as was the case for many weddings following the end of the war. In fact, Her Majesty had to collect clothing coupons for her dress like any other young bride of the time. It was still beautiful though! (Pictured below).
On 6th February 1952, whilst in Kenya, Elizabeth received news of her Father’s death and therefore accession to the throne. By 1977 she had celebrated her Silver Jubilee, recognising 25 years on the throne, to which her and the Duke of Edinburgh travelled over 56,000 miles in total. In 2012 she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, signifying 60 years as Queen.
There’s even more on offer!
As well as a celebration of Her Majesty, thrilling horse shows and the sights of Windsor Castle; there will be a unique shopping experience to take advantage of. There is a Fashion & Jewellery Quarter, where you will find SHERENE MELINDA and many other not-on-the-high-street unique boutiques, brands and designers. Country Lifestyle & Living has country-inspired, quirky and luxury furniture pieces for your home or office. Then there’s the Horse & Rider zone, where you will find just about anything for your equestrian needs.
As you can see there’s plenty happening at The Royal Windsor Horse Show and we will be there for 5 days between the 11th and 15th May on Stand A44. We will also be posting some pictures from the show as it unfolds so follow us on social media using the links below to see inside this year’s super special and majestic event.
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Image Credits:
Royal WIndsor Horse Show
Metro Online
