22 February 2019
‘The Pageant’ in Windsor celebrates the birth and reign of Queen Victoria
This May, one of Her Majesty The Queen’s favourite annual fixtures, Royal Windsor Horse Show, returns with a glorious new twist. 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria, a significant occasion which will be commemorated in celebratory fashion. Windsor is on the FEI calendar from 9th to 12th May and will once again host a Nations Cup (CAIO4*) for the four-in-hands as well as a CAI3* for horse pairs and pony four-in-hands.
The Pageant, a 90-minute spectacular show, will bring together memorable and exciting events from this golden age of discovery. The show will encompass everything from the Music Hall, the Industrial Revolution, Gilbert and Sullivan, Charles Dickens, and our military heritage (The Crimean War and The Great Game).
Compered by Alan Titchmarsh MBE and filled with music throughout, tickets for The Pageant are in high demand. Spectators will be treated to an outdoor theatre production involving a 600 strong troupe of artists, dancers and participants in addition to over 400 horses and 30 carriages. There will be readings from Queen Victoria’s diaries and poems from Tennyson laced with equestrian action and music from the period.
A host of international acts will be travelling to the iconic Windsor Castle to join the celebrations and play an important role in the 90-minute show, including participants from Oman, the Hungarian Csikós and stunt riders from Azerbaijan. From the UK there will be Shetland Ponies and their young jockeys, Pony Club riders, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and a ‘Balmoral’ Quadrille, complete with pipes, drums and Scottish dancers. In homage to Dickens, a scene from the renowned film and play ‘Oliver’, will be a highlight.
Producer, Simon Brooks-Ward said: “When you reflect on the Victorian Era, you realise that there is so much to work with. We have picked some of the best bits to give our audience a real experience of the 19th century and a much loved Monarch.”
