The newly titled Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge travel to Buckingham Palace in the 1902 State Landau, along the procession route, waving and smiling as they go. The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Kate Middleton, London 29th April 2011. Crowds gathered to line the streets on this important day for the Royal Family. (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
(Image credit: In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
Harry and Meghan will rightly be taking centre stage today in Windsor (19 May 2018), but the gleaming horses escorting them will be giving the newlyweds a run for their money. We rewind the clock to look at royal weddings through history where the horses have been the showstoppers...
April 1923: Duke of York (later King George VI) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, London
The bridegroom, the Duke of York (later King George VI) leaving Buckingham Palace by carriage for Westminster Abbey in London, before the royal wedding to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later the Queen Mother)
(Image credit: PA Archive/PA Images)
November 1947: Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, London
Princess Elizabeth and King George VI ride in the Irish State Coach past crowds of people through Admiralty Arch and on their way to Westminster Abbey for the wedding of the Princess and the Duke of Edinburgh, London, November 20th 1947. (Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Popperfoto/Getty Images)
British Royalty, pic: 20th November 1947, Buckingham Palace, London, Princess Elizabeth leaves the Palace in the Irish State Coach accompanied by her father HM, King George VI for her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Popperfoto/Getty Images)
November 1973: Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, London
The royal wedding procession of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips passing Westminster Hall and the Houses of Parliament.
(Image credit: PA Archive/PA Images)
The Royal Wedding Procession down the Mall.
(Image credit: PA Archive/PA Images)
July 1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, London
LONDON, UK - JULY 29, 1981: Royal Wedding. Photo of Diana Princess of Wales and Prince Charles taken by Ron Bull July 29, 1981. (Ron Bull/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Toronto Star via Getty Images)
The mounted cavalry escort Prince Charles along The Strand in London, en route to St Paul's Cathedral for his wedding to Lady Diana Spencer, 29th July 1981. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
July 1986: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, London
LONDON - JULY 23: The Royal Wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York on July 23, 1986 in London.The Royal couple returning down The Mall from St. Pauls Cathedral in an open carriage to Buckingham Palace. (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
June 1999: Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, Windsor
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM: The carriage carrying the newly-wed British royal couple Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones makes its way past the statue of Queen Victoria in front of Windsor Castle 19 June 1999. The royal couple took a brief ride through the historic town of Windsor after their wedding ceremony. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) (Photo credit should read MANOOCHER DEGHATI/AFP/Getty Images)
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)
April 2011: Prince William and Catherine Middleton, London
The newly titled Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge travel to Buckingham Palace in the 1902 State Landau, along the procession route, waving and smiling as they go. The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Kate Middleton, London 29th April 2011. Crowds gathered to line the streets on this important day for the Royal Family. (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Corbis via Getty Images)
Crowd scenes at the Mall as thousands of well-wishers from around the world have flocked to London to witness the Wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine on April 29, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Fred Duval/FilmMagic)
(Image credit: FilmMagic)
Don’t miss this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (17 May 2018), for the full feature about the horses at today’s royal wedding
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A graduate from Durham University, Madeleine joined H&H in 2011 and became Features Editor — producing content across the magazine and website, including the popular inside back cover article ‘The horse that made me’ and the weekly ‘The best of my fun…’ interview. She has written on topics as diverse as hay making and headcams, to hot totty in the horse world and circus horses. Madeleine now works as a freelance feature writer for Country Life, The Telegraph, Horse & Hound, cntraveller.com, The Spectator and The Field, as well as writing obituaries for The Times.
