Princess Royal to visit Burghley – as an eventing legend is to bow out
The Princess Royal will be at Burghley on the final day, as will another special visitor
The Princess Royal is to visit Defender Burghley Horse Trials on the final day (5 September) – when a legend of the sport will also officially bow out.
In her role as president of World Horse Welfare, the event’s supported charity for 2026, and as president of the British Eventing Support Trust, Her Royal Highness will present the prizes after the final phase. A spokesperson for Burghley said this will “provide a fitting climax to a true ‘Super Sunday’ celebrating world-class sport”.
As well as the princess, who won the European Championships held at Burghley in 1971, there will be more medal-winning eventers for the crowd to cheer. The team gold medallists from this summer’s World Championships – two-time Burghley winner Ros Canter, Laura Collett, Tom McEwen and Gemma Stevens, plus individual World Championships rider Caroline Harris – will parade in the main arena before the prizegiving.
Burghley event director Martyn Johnson said: “We are very honoured that HRH the Princess Royal is attending Burghley again this year.
“As a former winner of Burghley, and a British gold medallist herself, it is highly appropriate that Her Royal Highness will play a role on a day which celebrates so much British equestrian sporting achievement.”
More emotion is promised when four-time CCI5* winner and Olympic gold medallist Ballaghmor Class will canter once more round the arena in which he clinched his two Burghley titles with Oliver Townend. The 19-year-old superstar owned by Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan is to be officially retired on the same day.
The Sunday crowd will also be able to enjoy the Defender Shetland Pony Grand National, the British Army Tidworth band and a parade of the Fitzwilliam (Milton) hounds.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.