The best of Bystander: Cartier Queen's Cup Polo
There is perhaps no summer event as glamorous as the Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo. Taking place at the Guard’s Polo Club, it sees the Royal Family – from the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to the polo-playing Prince William – rubbing shoulders with the great and good of art, culture, high society and beyond. While the winners change each year, there are several things you can always bet on: a delicious three-course lunch, unmissable action – and the Cartier bellboys standing proud in their iconic red uniforms. The 2026 edition of the event was no exception. The private garden – newly reimagined under the auspices of new Cartier UK managing director Agathe Delpont – bloomed with flowers in sumptuous shades of cream, white and the softest pink as society swans Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia Spencer held court. Scroll down for some of the best photos from this year's event alongside unforgettable moments from the Tatler archives…
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Jayne Fincher / Princess Diana Archive / Getty Images1/62Prince Andrew, Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles, 1981
Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis via Getty Images2/62Prince Charles and the Queen, 1985
Julian Parker / UK Press via Getty Images3/62Prince William holding his mother's handbag, 1989
Jayne Fincher / Princess Diana Archive / Getty Images4/62Princess Diana and Prince William, 1989
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images5/62The Queen presenting the cup, 1993
Tom Wargacki / WireImage via Getty Images6/62Elton John, 1996
Tom Wargacki / WireImage via Getty Images7/62Major Ronald Ferguson, 1996
Tom Wargacki / WireImage via Getty Images8/62Henry Dent-Brocklehurst and Lili Maltese, 1997
Tom Wargacki / WireImage via Getty Images9/62Minnie Driver and Matt Damon, 1997
Tom Wargacki / WireImage via Getty Images10/62Tamara Beckwith, 1998
Tom Wargacki / WireImage via Getty Images11/62Andrew Parker Bowles and Rosemary Pitman, 1999
Justin Goff / UK Press via Getty Images12/62Angelina Jolie, 2000
HUGO PHILPOTT / AFP via Getty Images13/62Queen Elizabeth II, 2000
Tom Wargacki / WireImage via Getty Images14/62Jodie Kidd, 2000
Tom Wargacki / WireImage via Getty Images15/62Chloë Sevigny, 2000
Dave Benett / Getty Images16/62Colin Firth and Keira Knightley, 2002
Dave Benett / Getty Images17/62Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, 2002
Carl De Souza / Getty Images18/62The Queen presenting a prize to Jose Donoso, 2004
Carl De Souza / Getty Images19/62Prince Harry playing polo at the Guards Polo Club, 2004
Dave Benett / Getty Images20/62Camilla Rutherford and Lady Eloise Anson, 2004
Dave Benett / Getty Images21/62Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, 2004
Dave Benett / Getty Images22/62David de Rothschild and Tania Bryer, 2004
David Westing / Getty Images23/62Lord Brockett and his daughter, Antalya, 2004
Dave Benett / Getty Images24/62Lady Isabella Hervey, 2004
Dave Benett / Getty Images25/62Lord Frederick Windsor and Meredith Ostrom, 2004
Dave Benett / Getty Images26/62James Blunt, 2005
MJ Kim / Getty Images27/62Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy, 2006
MJ Kim / Getty Images28/62Chelsy Davy, 2006
Dave M. Benett / Getty Images29/62Andrew and Geraldine Lloyd Webber, 2006
Dave M. Benett / Getty Images30/62Poppy Delevingne, 2007
Nick Harvey / Getty Images31/62Jemima Khan, 2007
Tim Whitby / Getty Images32/62Prince Charles drives away in his Aston Martin, 2008
Dave M. Benett / Getty Images33/62Lady Emily Compton, 2009
Mike Marsland / WireImage via Getty Images34/62Amber Le Bon, 2011
Indigo / Getty Images35/62Prince Philip, 2011
Dave M. Benett / Getty Images36/62Olympia Campbell and Edie Campbell, 2012
Nick Harvey / WireImage via Getty Images37/62Charlotte Casiraghi, 2013
Nick Harvey / WireImage via Getty Images38/62Nicky Haslam, 2013
David M. Benett / Getty Images39/62Michelle Dockery, 2014
David M. Benett / Getty Images40/62Bianca Jagger, 2014
David M. Benett / Getty Images41/62Lady Kitty Spencer, 2015
Dave Benett / Getty Images42/62Rupert Finch and Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, 2016
Dave Benett / Getty Images43/62Sienna Miller, 2016
Dave Benett / Getty Images44/62The Duke and Duchess of Richmond, 2016
Dave Benett / Getty Images45/62Eleanor Wellesley, 2017
Dave Benett / Getty Images46/62The Queen presenting a prize at the Cartier Queen's Cup Polo final at Guards Polo Club, 2017
Dave Benett / Getty Images47/62The Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven, 2017
Dave Benett / Getty Images48/62Lady Mary Charteris, 2018
Dave Benett / Getty Images49/62Lily Collins, 2018
Dave Benett / Getty Images50/62Alice Dellal, 2018
Dave Benett / Getty Images51/62Viscount and Viscountess Weymouth (now the Marquess and Marchioness of Bath), 2018
Dave Benett / Getty Images52/62James Blunt and Sofia Wellesley, 2018
Dave Benett / Getty Images for Cartier53/62Sabine Getty, 2018
Dave Benett / Getty Images54/62Frankie Herbert, 2018
Dave Benett / Getty Images for Cartier55/62Neelam Gill and Leomie Anderson, 2019
Dave Benett / Getty Images56/62Astrid Harbord and Olivia Buckingham, 2019
Dave Benett / Getty Images for Cartier57/62Laurent Feniou and the Queen, 2019
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King Charles III, 2024
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Lady Amelia Spencer and Lady Eliza Spencer, 2026
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Mia McKenna Bruce
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Jessica Plummer and Agathe Delpont
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Digby Hunt and Lady Delphi Primrose
