Queen Camilla greeted her former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, while attending the annual Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire on Friday. Her visit included meeting members of the Ebony Horse Club, for which she serves as president.
Royal Engagement at Badminton
Speaking with broadcaster Clare Balding at the event, Camilla expressed how deeply moved she was upon first discovering the club "quite a few years ago." During her time there, she interacted with volunteers from the club's riding school in Brixton, south London, which provides riding lessons, workshops, and youth support for disadvantaged young people. The organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The Queen spoke with a group of young club members, including a teenager who demonstrated a horse simulator. She was offered the controls herself before entering the event arena to watch four young riders perform a musical ride to London Calling by The Clash. Camilla then presented the quartet and their ponies with rosettes.
Reunion with Andrew Parker Bowles
Camilla also spoke with Lucinda Green, a six-time winner of the Badminton event, and greeted Mr. Parker Bowles during a reception. The couple married in 1973 and had two children, Tom and Laura, before divorcing in 1995.
Other Royal Engagements
Last week, the Queen was given the fan from her official coronation portrait to commemorate her historic crowning. Camilla opened The Fan Museum’s new Monarchy exhibition in Greenwich, south-east London, on Thursday as part of her role as its patron. She revealed how she could not wait to see the specially-made creation, describing it as "so beautiful" and saying she would use it on "special occasions."
The fan features the Queen’s favourite flowers, butterflies, and her birthday star constellation, as well as a dragonfly representing George and the Dragon. The visit took place the day after the third anniversary of the King and Queen’s coronation, which saw the monarch and his consort crowned and anointed in a deeply religious ceremony in Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023.
Camilla had also given the museum some fans from her own collection, which she remarked left "a few little spaces" back at Clarence House. The Queen joked that she looked "forward to getting them back again."
