When this post is being published, Euro 2024 will be starting in days. And it will be a good chance to see a number of royals out and about, supporting their team. There are several royal families with teams in the tournament including Belgium, Denmark, England, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Spain. However, enjoying sports is not new for the royals. For centuries, royals across the globe have enjoyed taking part in different spots. In honour of the upcoming tournament (and continuous sporting events throughout the summer), we are exploring the history of royals and sports!
The History of Royals and Sports
Royals everywhere have always enjoyed being spectators for centuries, and we still see it now. Royals going to the World Cup and Euro tournaments or supporting their country/ies at the Olympics. Wimbledon and Royal Ascot are a who’s who of royal guests. Not to mention sailing, car racing, and other sporting events.
However, today we are focusing on the royals that have taken part in sporting events themselves, and those specifically who have competed. You would be hard-pressed to find a modern royal who isn’t appropriately sporty, but we are exploring those who took it to the next level.
Golf- King James IV of Scotland, Mary, Queen of Scots, King Charles I of England
King James II had originally banned golf in Scotland in the fifteenth century because so many men were neglecting their military training to hit pebbles and rocks around. However, by the sixteenth century, the tides had turned- King James IV of Scotland was a massive fan of golf when he started playing in 1502. And his granddaughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, may have also been a fan of grabbing her clubs.
King Charles I of England and Scotland, Mary’s grandson, was the first monarch of England to embrace the sport and play the links. Unfortunately, Oliver Cromwell also put a stop to golf during the Interregnum though it did return!
While not playing, every British monarch since King William IV has served as Patron of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrew’s.
Jousting- King Edward III of England, King Henry VIII of England, King Henry II of France
It will not surprise anyone who has at least a vague interest in royal history that jousting is on this list. As you will soon read, jousting was a fairly dangerous sport, and most monarchs don’t want to sign up to potentially die in a tournament (nor for their heir to die…). Still, that did not stop several monarchs.
King Edward III took part in several jousting tournaments and won many, as did his son, Edward the Black Prince. (Yes, Edward the Black Prince played by James Purefoy in A Knight’s Tale– there was some truth to that!)
King Henry VIII enjoyed jousting from a young age and took part in many tournaments. However, in January 1536 he was injured in a tournament when he was thrown from his horse, was unconscious for two hours, and gained a leg wound that would plague him for the rest of his life. His personality changed drastically after the incident.
King Henry II of France did not learn from his English counterpart and also suffered a serious jousting injury. In June of 1559, Henry was fatally injured when broken lance shards entered his eye socket. He died 10 days later with shards discovered in his head. It was Henry’s death that really sunk jousting- it drastically fell in popularity after the French King’s death.
Tennis- King Henry VIII of England, King Francis I of France, King Henry II of France, King Charles VIII of France, Emperor Napoleon III of France, King George VI of Great Britain.
This is a spanning example as the game evolved over the centuries. In addition to jousting, King Henry VIII was a big fan of what is now known as “real tennis”. When the Tudor king took to the court, it was an indoor court though looked fairly similar to the sport we watch now. Reportedly Henry was actually playing tennis when his second wife, Anne Boleyn, was arrested.
The sport actually originated in France, so it makes sense that several French monarchs partook in tennis. It was under King Charles IX that tennis was formally codified when he approved the formation of the Corporation of Tennis Professionals. Although tennis slowly fell out of fashion in Europe, Emperor Napoleon III revived the practice.
Very interestingly, the future King George VI competed at Wimbledon in doubles with his former equerry Louis Greig. (At this point, the game has evolved to lawn tennis.) Unfortunately, the pair were knocked out in the first round but he remains the only royal to have competed at the tournament.
Equestrian- Princess Anne of Great Britain
Of course, what would the history of royals and sports be without Princess Anne? She is still well-known for her involvement with equestrian organisations, but she competed herself. In 1975, she competed at the European Eventing Championship and won both individual and team medals. She then went to the 1976 Olympics to compete though unfortunately ended up with a concussion partway through and was forced to withdraw.
Although she technically is not a royal (though a member of the extended family), Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall has won an Olympic Silver Medal at the London 2012 games.
Will you be royal spotting at sporting events this summer?
Cheers,
The Historian
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