Lady Louise Windsor, 22, is cheered on by her long-term boyfriend at carriage driving event as she begins her gap year

Lady Louise Windsor beamed as she was supported by her long-term boyfriend at a carriage driving event over the weekend.

King Charles's niece was cheered on by her boyfriend, Felix da Silva-Clamp, as she took part in the National British Carriage Driving Championships at Ashfields, Essex on Saturday.

The 22-year-old, who is 16th in line to the throne, was competing in the cross-country marathon with one of Prince Philip’s former ponies, known as Balmoral Bertie.

Wearing a red and blue helmet and beige jodhpurs, she appeared to be riding down narrow lanes at considerable speed, demonstrating her skill at the sport.

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Felix was every inch her proud supporter, cheering her on from the sidelines, wearing a Royal Windsor Horse Show baseball cap – where Louise had an official job this year – brown trousers and a blue checked shirt.

Lady Louise is starting her gap year after graduating from St Andrews University in Scotland in the summer.

She is believed to have met Felix at the university a couple of years ago, where they were both members of the drama society. 

Lady Louise's passion inherited from her grandfather Prince Philip

Louise, who is the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, inherited her passion for carriage driving from Prince Philip and made her eventing debut five years ago. The young royal now regularly competes at carriage driving events.

Prince Philip took up carriage driving in his 50s and continued well into his 90s after he was forced to give up polo and competing in 2003.  

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The sport often saw him tipped out of his carriage as he travelled round the courses at high speed.

Sara Howe, who owns and runs the Bradbourne Riding & Training Centre in Sevenoaks, exclusively told HELLO! previously that Louise is doing "very well" when it comes to the sport.

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She told us: "I think she's doing extremely well with the time and the commitment of everything else she has to do. She's a pleasure to work with."

"She certainly tries. She gets frustrated when it goes wrong, like the rest of us do. So she still goes home and practises and comes back, and there's an improvement. She looks more than good."

Lady Louise's next plans after her graduation

Lady Louise graduated from St Andrews back in July after completing a four-year English degree. 

She was pictured alongside her proud parents, Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward, in her graduation portraits. 

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The royal family sent their best wishes with a post on the monarchy’s official social media, reading: "Congratulations to Lady Louise on her graduation from St Andrews University!"

The following day, Louise was joined by Felix as she picked up her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award from her father at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

It's understood that she is now starting a gap year, undertaking a combination of working, volunteering, and travelling. 

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She's kept a low profile over the summer, though she was spotted at the royal family's summer gathering at Balmoral, alongside her younger brother, James, Earl of Wessex. 

She and Felix also travelled to Edinburgh, where they joined the Duke and Duchess for a theatre performance of Inala.