A Royal Meeting

Those Royals sure do love their horses! During a visit to New Plymouth in February 1974, Princess Anne – looking fresh as an apple in a fetching green suit – greeted a line of young equestrian riders. This Charters and Guthrie photograph, and the Princess Royal’s broad smile, reflects her avid interest in equestrian pursuits. She represented the British eventing team for five years and won the European Eventing Championship at the tender age of 21. The Princess was the only member of the British Royal Family to have competed in the Olympic Games, until 2012 when her daughter, Zara Phillips, won silver at the London games. Princess Anne was in New Zealand to attend the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, which were opened by Prince Phillip on 24 January 1974.