The Queen Is Going Horseback Riding Every Day in Quarantine

Queen Elizabeth II is "riding daily" while in quarantine at Windsor Castle, Vanity Fair reports, and plans to resume public duties "as soon as she possibly can."

chichester, england november 30 queen elizabeth ii is seen at the chichester theatre while visiting west sussex on november 30, 2017 in chichester, united kingdom photo by stuart c wilsongetty images
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)
  • Queen Elizabeth II is "riding daily" while in quarantine at Windsor Castle, Vanity Fair reports.
  • She's planning to resume her public duties "as soon as she possibly can," a palace aide told the magazine.
  • The Queen and Prince Philip are also spending a lot more time together, with a friend saying, "They have dinner together in the evenings and I imagine the Queen is of the generation where she dresses for dinner."

If I make it to my 90s—which I do not anticipate, because my anxiety levels can't be doing my heart any favors—I imagine I'll spend my days as sedentary as humanly possible, guilt-tripping all my unfortunate family members into delivering me pastries and iced coffees directly to my very large, very luxurious bed. Which is not at all how Queen Elizabeth II, at 94, is spending her time! According to Vanity Fair, she's occupying herself while in quarantine at Windsor Castle by going horseback riding literally every day, alongside dressing up for dinner with husband Prince Philip. Can't relate! And neither can future me! 

An inside source told Vanity Fair that the Queen is riding horses every day, and is in "excellent spirits," which I, an unreformed horse girl, would also be if I had direct access to horses right now.

A palace aide also told the magazine that the Queen will resume her public duties as soon as she's able to, once the coronavirus pandemic subsides. "The idea that we won’t see the Queen in public again is certainly not the case," they said. "The Queen is planning to come back to work and when she does I think we’ll see her work harder than ever."

Here's another royal tidbit: The Queen and Prince Philip, who are isolating together at Windsor Castle, are reportedly enjoying their increased time together, after living separately for two years. "One of the nicest things for the Queen is that she is getting to spend more time with her husband than she usually would," an insider told Vanity Fair. "They have dinner together in the evenings and I imagine the Queen is of the generation where she dresses for dinner."

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Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.