Lady Louise Windsor and her boyfriend, Felix da Silva-Clamp, have been described by those around them as a “normal” couple.
Sara Howe, a carriage driving trainer who regularly sees Louise competing, said the King’s niece and her partner fit easily into the sport without seeking attention.
Speaking about Mr Da Silva-Clamp’s presence at events, Ms Howe said: “He’s always been very supportive, but also leaves her alone to get on with the job.”
Ms Howe, who is based in Sevenoaks, said the couple had attended a social gathering together following a long day at the Glebe, where Louise had been competing.
She explained: “They join in, and they help, and they talk. They’re just lovely.”
Ms Howe added that while the couple maintain their privacy, they do not distance themselves from others involved in the sport.
The carriage-driving trainer said: “They’ve got their own privacy,” adding that Louise and Mr Da Silva-Clamp “certainly aren’t put out on a pedestal and that nobody can go anywhere near them. They’re totally the opposite from that.”
Mr Da Silva-Clamp was photographed alongside Louise last August at the Ashfields Carriage and Polo Club, where the 22-year-old was competing.
Lady Louise Windsor’s boyfriend Felix da Silva-Clamp ‘leaves her alone’ during competitions
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An onlooker at the event said at the time that he was “cheering and clapping from the sidelines”.
The same source claimed he “did a fist pump as she went through the water” and was “keen to see [Lady Louise] progress in the sport”.
Observers also described the pair as being “mindful” about public displays of affection, while noting that people could “tell they’re very close”.
Louise and her boyfriend are understood to have met while studying at the University of St Andrews, where her cousin Prince William met his future wife, the Princess of Wales.
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In 2024, the Mail reported that Prince Edward’s daughter and Mr Da Silva-Clamp “struck up a friendship when they were cast in the first student-written play to be performed at the Byre Theatre at St Andrews”.
Louise is frequently supported at competitions by her family, including her mother Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and occasionally her younger brother James, Earl of Wessex.
Ms Howe explained: “Her mother [Sophie] is very supportive, and her brother turns up as well sometimes.
“Mum, nine times out of 10, she turns up because, again, she’s another carriage driver. She’s heavily involved. She does the showing, we call it Concours d’Elegance.
“We do the dirty side of it, the cross-country and mud flying and everything, and her mother does the elegant side, the showing, looking beautiful in lovely carriages and immaculately turned out, and she does that extremely well and thoroughly enjoys it.
“So she’s still very heavily involved with the carriage driving herself.”
Ms Howe added: “It’s a very family thing that they’re doing.”
Carriage driving has long been part of the family’s interests. Louise’s grandfather, Prince Philip, was a competitive carriage driver for decades.
Following his death in 2021, Louise was seen driving his carriage around the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Ms Howe, who previously competed in the same class as the late Duke of Edinburgh, said: “We’re very lucky to have another royal in our sport because our sport is very, very small, and we need to make it bigger.”
