Windsor Grey is a moniker for the grey horses used by the

British monarchy The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

to pull

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

s and

state coach A state coach, also known as a gala coach, is a highly decorative ceremonial Coach (carriage), coach used in Europe by a monarch or head of state on state occasions. A four-wheeled vehicle for four passengers, it may be drawn at a walk by six o ...

es in ceremonial processions such as those for

coronations A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special ...

, royal weddings,

Trooping the Colour Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed every year on Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of Household Division, to celebrate the King's Official Birthday, official birthday of the British sovereign, though t ...

, and the

opening of Parliament The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each Legislative session, session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His or Her Majesty's "Speech from the throne, gracious speech ...

. They are named for

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

where they were originally stabled, though today they live at the

Royal Mews The Royal Mews is a mews, or collection of equestrian stables, of the British royal family. In London these stables and stable-hands' quarters have occupied two main sites in turn, being located at first on the north side of Charing Cross, and ...

near

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

. Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays make up the majority of the royal

carriage horse Driving means guiding a horse in harness to pull a load such as a horse-drawn vehicle, a farm implement, or other load. Horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, and other animals can be driven. Typical horse-drawn vehicles are wagons, carriages, car ...

s. The Greys are not a breed, but are of

warmblood Warmbloods are a group of middle-weight horse types and breeds primarily originating in Europe and registered with organizations that are characterized by open studbook policy, studbook selection, and the aim of breeding for equestrian sp ...

type of at least height. The horses are broke to ride at 4 years old, and two years later, they are trained to harness. In order to be safe in the crowds they will experience in their 10 years of service, a placid temperament is mandatory, layered with extensive desensitization training.

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

began the use of Windsor Grey horses to pull the royal carriages during her reign (1837-1901), and all subsequent British monarchs have continued the tradition. Most Windsor Greys are purebred or crossbred

Irish Draught The Irish Draught horse is the national horse breed of Ireland which developed primarily for farm use. Today, they are especially popular for crossing with Thoroughbreds and warmbloods, producing the popular Irish Sport Horses (also called Iri ...

horses from Ireland, though some horses are bred at

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

. Two Windsor Greys pulled the procession carriage through Windsor for the 2018

wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held on Saturday 19 May 2018 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. The groom is a member of the British royal family; the bride is American and previously worked as an a ...

. For the 2023

coronation of Charles III The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, Camilla, as Monarchy of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth re ...

, six Windsor Greys drew the three-tonne

Diamond Jubilee State Coach The Diamond Jubilee State Coach (initially known as the State Coach Britannia) is an enclosed, six-horse-drawn carriage that was made to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday, but completion was delayed for nearly eight years. Eventua ...

from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey with three

postilion A postilion or postillion is a person who rides a harnessed horse that is pulling a horse-drawn vehicle such as a Coach (carriage), coach, rather than driving from behind as a coachman does. This method is used for pulling wheeled vehicles tha ...

riders, then eight Greys with four postilion drew the heavy four-tonne

Gold State Coach The Gold State Coach is an enclosed, eight-horse-drawn carriage used by the British royal family. Commissioned in 1760 by Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, for King George III, and designed by Sir William Chambers, it was bui ...

back to the palace. In the mid-1970s, the early days of the sport of

combined driving Combined driving (also known as horse driving trials) is an equestrian sport involving driving (horse), carriage driving. In this discipline, the driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse, a pair or a team of four. The sport has three p ...

Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Monarch, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As executive head of the Royal Mews Department, he is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the ...

Sir John Miller and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

both competed with teams of four Greys from the Royal Mews. File:190608-D-PB383-015 (48025009273).jpg,

(2019) File:Gold State Coach, drawn by 8 Windsor Grey horses (52875338268).jpg, 8 Greys pulling the

(2023) File:Horses at the Royal Mews - geograph.org.uk - 3181760.jpg, At the Royal Mews stables (2012)

References

Further reading