Polo
The Queen's Cup
Egham, United Kingdom
Egham · June · Subject to availability
Mid June — dates to be confirmed
High-goal polo in Windsor Great Park, and one of the two tournaments that define the British season.
The Queen's Cup is contested at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park over several weeks, culminating in a final in June that is among the most agreeable afternoons in the British summer. The polo is high goal and genuinely competitive, with the best patrons and professionals in the game assembled, and the standard is materially higher than the exhibition matches held elsewhere in the season. The setting accounts for much of the appeal: the ground sits within the park itself, the scale is modest, and the atmosphere is closer to a private occasion than a public sporting fixture. It sits within a fortnight of Ascot and the Windsor and Berkshire calendar around it is dense, which makes a combined itinerary sensible.
- Month
- June
- Recommended stay
- 2–3 nights
- Nearest airports
- FAB · LTN
- Typical clientele
- Polo patrons, professionals and pony breeders, British and international families for whom the summer season is a fixture, and guests of the club's members and sponsors.
Why it matters
The tournament assembles the patrons, professionals and breeders who constitute the high-goal game, and the conversations around the pony lines are the substance of the day for anyone with an interest in it. Its proximity to the other Berkshire fixtures makes it the natural anchor for a longer stay in the Thames Valley during the height of the British season.
How access is arranged
Admission and hospitality are administered by the club and arranged with authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist, by introduction and subject to availability. Scott & Vale coordinates accommodation, movement, staffing and dining around the fixture.
Scott & Vale coordinates travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design around this occasion, and makes introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist. The firm does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission.
Hospitality and travel
Where to stay
- Coworth Park
- Cliveden House
- Great Fosters
- The Runnymede on Thames
- Oakley Court
Properties are listed as editorial guidance. Scott & Vale holds no inventory and no claimed relationship with any property named here.
Arrival by air
- FAB — Farnborough Thirty minutes by road; the standard arrival for the Windsor and Berkshire fixtures.
- LTN — London Luton Fifty-five minutes by road, with greater availability in high season.
Helicopter. Rotations into the Windsor area are practical and are the usual arrangement for principals combining the fixture with other engagements in the same week.
Dining
- Woven at Coworth Park
- The Waterside Inn
- The Fat Duck
- Stovell's
- The Ivy Cobham Brasserie
Reservations are requested on a member's behalf, subject to availability.
Suggested itinerary
- 01 Day One Arrival in Berkshire and dinner locally, with the park available for an early walk the following morning.
- 02 Day Two The final in the afternoon, arriving in time for lunch, with the pony lines walked between chukkas.
- 03 Day Three Windsor and the Thames Valley in the morning, then departure or onward to another fixture in the same week.
Scott & Vale support
- Helicopter
- Luxury Hotels
- Private Villas
- Luxury Chauffeur
- Corporate Hospitality
- Restaurant Reservations
- Luxury Event Staffing
- Personal Concierge
Enquiry
Plan this properly, and plan it early.
An enquiry reaches the team directly with the context of this entry attached. A member of the team will respond within the hour, wherever you are.
Frequently asked
How competitive is the polo?
High goal and seriously contested, with the leading patrons and professionals of the British season fielding teams. It is not exhibition polo.
What should be worn?
Smart summer dress. Requirements vary by enclosure and are set by the club; heels are impractical on the ground itself.
Can it be combined with other fixtures?
Readily. It falls within the same fortnight as the principal Berkshire race meeting, and a single Thames Valley base serves both.
What does Scott & Vale arrange?
Accommodation, movement, staffing, dining and the itinerary, with introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Related events
Direct: info@scottnvale.com
Event names, marks and logos referenced on this page are the property of their respective owners. Scott & Vale is not an official partner, supplier or licensee of any event, organiser or rights holder named here, and no affiliation is implied. Scott & Vale does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission to any event. Travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design are arranged around these events, and introductions are made to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Photography: Daderot — CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
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