The Danish Royal House, The Dutch Royal House, The Spanish Royal House, The British Royal House
Royal Star Turnout for the Opening of the Equestrian World Championships in Aachen
Photo: Via New My Royals
Queen Mary, Crown Princess Amalia, Princess Benedikte, Infanta Elena and Zara Tindall were all present as the FEI World Championships opened with a ceremony and gala in Aachen.
On Tuesday 11 August, the FEI World Championships 2026 officially opened in Aachen, Germany, and the opening ceremony at Allianz Park gathered a rare cluster of horse-loving royals: Queen Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Infanta Elena of Spain and Britain's Zara Tindall.
Crown Princess Amalia greeted one of the championship's four-legged stars. Photo: Via New My Royals
Queen Mary arrived at the opening ceremony in summery Aachen. Photo: Via New My Royals
The championships, running until 23 August, bring together six disciplines: dressage, show jumping, driving, eventing, para dressage and vaulting. The opening ceremony featured a procession of historic carriages from the Royal Stables of the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom.
Queen Mary outside the arena in Aachen. Photo: Via New My Royals
Crown Princess Amalia of the Netherlands arrived with her hosts. Photo: Via New My Royals
Amalia is a keen rider herself, a passion she shares with several of Europe's royals. Photo: Via New My Royals
From the stands, Queen Mary and Crown Princess Amalia followed the show side by side, applauding as the carriages rolled onto the arena.
Queen Mary and Crown Princess Amalia side by side in the stands. Photo: Via New My Royals
Infanta Elena of Spain, an accomplished rider herself, posed by one of the championship's horse sculptures. Photo: Via New My Royals
Zara Tindall, King Charles' niece and herself a former eventing world champion. Photo: Via New My Royals
Princess Benedikte of Denmark has long been one of equestrian sport's foremost royal supporters. Photo: Via New My Royals