The Royal Windsor Horse Show 2026 A Week We Won’t Forget

The Royal Windsor Horse Show 2026 — A Week We Won’t Forget

There are events that justify everything. The sleepless nights, the financial pressure, the relentless grind of building something from nothing. The Royal Windsor Horse Show 2026 was one of those events. From start to finish, it reminded us exactly why we’re doing this.
A Location That Said Everything
First year applying to the Royal Windsor Horse Show. Not only were we accepted, but thanks to Pam Swift, we were placed in one of the most prestigious spots in the entire shopping village — front and centre on the first aisle, right in the heart of everything. And ours was the only stand in the whole location with a clear view of the King’s seat in the arena from the front of the stand. We don’t take that lightly. It’s a testament to the strength of what Lockwood has become — a brand that people in the right places are taking seriously. We’re incredibly grateful for that placement and everything it represents.
Helping Others Find Their Voice
One of the unexpected joys of this week was the conversations that had nothing to do with selling smocks. We met Annabelle from The Unreal Florist — a brilliant woman who needed a little encouragement to take her first leap into making content. We helped her find her confidence in front of the camera, and watching that click into place was genuinely one of the highlights of the show for me personally.

We also spent time with Heather and Charlie from Barker’s Equestrian. We got Heather trying some different styles of video — content her followers weren’t used to seeing from her. She reported back after the first day that the response from her community had been incredible. Moments like that reinforce something I’ve come to realise almost by accident — I’ve developed a genuine ability on social media, and being able to share that with others and help them realise their own potential brings me real joy. Sometimes we all just need a little help.

A New Friend — and a Rather Good Product Test
One of the most memorable moments of the week came courtesy of Martin Fuchs one of the world’s finest show jumpers, and someone I first met two years ago when I was here working on the driving. When he heard I was at the show, he came to find us.
The weather had been doing what British weather does on and off rain, the odd thunderstorm and he was in need of a waterproof jacket. He tried one on, liked it, and then asked if he could go and ride in it before committing to buying. I told him to crack on. He came back later that day having not only ridden in it but walked the entire course for the five star Grand Prix show jumping and reported back that he thought it was brilliant. He bought the jacket, and then also picked up an LO  quarter-zip while he was at it. At the end of the week, just before the Sunday Grand Prix, he came back to the stand and handed me two rosettes from the jumping classes he’d competed in earlier that week. A gesture that was as unexpected as it was genuinely touching. I think it’s fair to say I’ve made a friend for life in Martin Fuchs and he’s put our Metropolitan smock through one of the more rigorous product tests we’ve had to date.

A Royal Visit — and a Moment Ruth Will Never Forget

Midway through the week, word reached me that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal was at the show. I got a message to her equerry — letting them know that the sergeant who had prepared and turned out her horse for His Majesty The King’s Coronation was here on the showground. They remembered. And they brought her around to the stand.
Princess Anne is one of the most passionate advocates for British manufacturing in this country, and the conversation we had reflected exactly that. She gets it — the importance of keeping craft alive, of backing British industry, of buying things that last. For Ruth, it was her first time meeting senior royalty, and I could not have been more proud of how she handled it. Calm, collected, warm — every piece of etiquette exactly right. It was a genuinely special moment for both of us.

The day before, I had missed a visit from Prince Edward — but Ruth was on the stand alone and, true to form, was absolutely on top of it. Telling him everything about Lockwood, what we make and why we make it. She never misses a beat.
And then, on another occasion during the week, the Sheikh — the Prince of Bahrain — came onto the stand, heard the story, and bought two jackets. A lovely moment. I spotted a photograph of him with the King later that day, and while there is absolutely no factual basis for this whatsoever, I am going to choose to believe he mentioned that he’d been and bought a couple of jackets from one of His Majesty’s former soldiers. Tongue firmly in cheek — but a man can dream.

The People Who Make It All Worth It

Beyond the royal visits, what made this week was the people. Followers of the brand who had been watching from afar, finally coming to see us in person and getting their hands on the product. Customers who had already bought, coming to say hello and tell us how much they love what we stand for. And then — just as powerfully — people who had never heard of Lockwood before, walking onto the stand, picking up a smock, hearing the story, and buying on the spot. No prior knowledge, no social media following, just the product doing what the product does.
That combination — the loyal community and the complete newcomer both walking away happy — is the clearest possible sign that what we’re building is real and it is working.
The stress, the pressure, the sleepless nights, the financial worry — standing on that showground this week, all of it felt worth it. Every single bit of it.

Thank you to everyone who came to find us. We’ll see you at the next one.

God bless,

God save the king 

 Jacob Lockwood