Late Queen enjoyed thrill of almost being thrown off horse in first polo game

A personal letter written by the late  Queen Elizabeth described her thrilling hobby has come to light as part of a new archive, with the collection being sold at auction for a total of £12,000. When she was 24 the then-Princess was living with Prince Philip in Malta, where they stayed for two years while he was serving in the Royal Navy. While over there Elizabeth wrote to Horace Smith, the riding instructor who had taught her and her younger sister Princess Margaret to ride when they were children. In her letter dated April 24, 1950, she described how she felt trying polo for the the first time and the thrill she felt at nearly being thrown from the horse. She wrote: “It is lovely out here, and I have become a great polo fan – I even took it up mildly myself when I was out here last year! The Queen and Prince Philip lived in Malta for two years (Image: Getty) “It is extremely good for one’s riding, I find as all the ponies here are so quick that that unexpected turn which they are inclined to do, has one off in a moment!” Also included in the archive were 33 Christmas cards the Queen and Philip sent to Mr Smith and his daughter Sybil from 1944 until 1992, which have all been sold at auction at Griffin’s Auctions of Warwick. Horace Smith passed away in 1957, with the letters being treasured by Sybil until she died in 1995 and they were passed on to a close friend, whose niece sold them. The Queen was a keen horsewoman (Image: Getty) Elizabeth and Philip lived to Malta for two years before she ascended the throne, the only country she ever lived in apart from the UK. While there she was said to be carefree and happy, enjoying the kind of freedom she could never have again once she became monarch. Royal chef Darren McGrady has shared another insight into Her Majesty’s personal habits, including the unusual method she adopted for eating pears . Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022 (Image: Getty) He told Recipes Plus : “She eats her pears like boiled eggs. She’ll cut off the top and scoop out the insides with a spoon. There is no eating like a monkey at Buckingham Palace.” The Queen lived to the grand old age of 96 and ate a very healthy diet, with a daily eating menu typically consisting of grilled fish or chicken with two types of vegetables, plus lots of salad. However there were some ingredients she did not like in her food, including garlic and “too many” onions.