Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie's daughter Lady Louise Windsor has inherited the carriage driving bug from her late grandfather, Prince Philip, and her University of St Andrews boyfriend can often be found cheering from the sidelines at competitions. Louise met fellow student Felix da Silva-Clamp at the Scottish university famously attended by Prince William and Princess Kate, and according to one equestrian insider, Louise and Felix are a very "normal" couple.
Carriage driving trainer Sara Howe often encounters the duo at competitions, and she told Hello! that Felix has "always been very supportive, but also leaves her alone to get on with the job."
Louise's boyfriend is a regular on the carriage driving circuit and was spotted with Louise, Duchess Sophie and Prince Philip's close friend, Penny Knatchbull, at the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials last summer along with other competitions.
"They join in and they help and they talk. They're just lovely," Howe told Hello! She added that the couple "certainly aren't put out on a pedestal and that nobody can go anywhere near them. They're totally the opposite from that."
Along with Felix, Duchess Sophie is a regular supporter at Louise's carriage-driving competitions—and she takes the part in the sport herself.
"Her mother is very supportive, and her brother turns up as well sometimes," Howe added. "Mum, nine times out of ten, she turns up because, again, she's another carriage driver. She's heavily involved."
Duchess Sophie takes part in "Concours d'Elegance," a different side to carriage driving that focuses on showmanship and "looking beautiful in lovely carriages," as Howe noted. She praised the royals participating in the niche sport, adding, "It's a very family thing that they're doing."
