They are named for Windsor Castle where they were originally stabled, though today they live at the Royal Mews near Buckingham Palace.
In order to be safe in the crowds they will experience in their 10 years of service, a placid temperament is mandatory, layered with extensive desensitization training.
[1] Queen Victoria began the use of Windsor Grey horses to pull the royal carriages during her reign (1837-1901), and all subsequent British monarchs have continued the tradition.
[4] For the 2023 coronation of Charles III, six Windsor Greys drew the three-tonne Diamond Jubilee State Coach from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey with three postilion riders, then eight Greys with four postilion drew the heavy four-tonne Gold State Coach back to the palace.
[5] In the mid-1970s, the early days of the sport of combined driving, Crown Equerry Sir John Miller and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh both competed with teams of four Greys from the Royal Mews.