Bologna, Friday 9 April 2021 – “It is with great sadness that Her Royal Highness the Queen announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.” These are the words in the statement that the royal family conveyed today the sad news.
Prince Philip was a great personality. For a thousand clear reasons: for his role, because he was Queen Elizabeth’s husband for 73 years and because he was her essential and constant support, for the sympathy that characterized him and for the affection that he was able to overcome practically everywhere. But for all of us, members of the great equestrian family, the Duke of Edinburgh was above all a fantastic horse-riding figure.
Born on June 10, 1921 in Corfu, Greece (where only a year and a half remained), the story of a life is bold, exciting and full of twists and turns until November 20, 1947, the day of his wedding with Princess Elizabeth II, the future. Queen of the United Kingdom.
Prince Philip was a huge lover of sports, was a cricketer, hockey player, rowing and sailing player. But horses and horse riding were among his most important sporting achievements, particularly in the discipline of attacks: in shooting with four men, he participated in six editions of the World Championships and three European Championships, and won a world medal. Team gold with Great Britain in 1980 and bronze in 1978, 1982 (Singles 6) and 1984.
But his contribution to the world of equestrian sport was even more significant in the role of Chairman Fei, a position he held from 1964 to 1986, a period of time during which transformations within our disciplines were profound and continued above all. From this point of view, Prince Philip was instrumental in providing as much support as possible in his institutional role for the working group that led, led by Swiss journalist Max E. Oman, to the birth of the Show Jumping World Cup. Just as during his presidency, the seed that was to spawn in the 1990 first edition of the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, held when the presidency of Fei Filippo was now replaced by his daughter, Princess Anna (at the helm of the Fei from 1986 to 1994), was planted in turn in Past is an active and competitive contestant in the suit specialty.
Philip of Edinburgh stopped in this life when it was close to complete 100 years of earthly existence. And so the world is losing a great personality, the UK is a point of reference, and Queen Elizabeth is her closest and most intimate companion. Equestrian sports lose a real horse.
“Introvert. Avid gamer. Wannabe beer advocate. Subtly charming zombie junkie. Social media trailblazer. Web scholar.”
