High-Goal Polo at Its Finest
The Queen's Cup is the premier high-goal polo tournament in Britain, played annually at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park since 1960. "High-goal" means each team's combined handicap must reach 22 goals – the highest level of the sport in the UK, and a standard that attracts the best professional players from Argentina, where polo is a national obsession.
The tournament runs for several weeks through May and June, with the final traditionally held on a Sunday in mid-June. Teams of four compete in a knockout format across the club's immaculate grounds. The Queen presented the cup herself for decades, and the royal family's connection to the club is deep – the Duke of Edinburgh was president from 1955, and both King Charles and Prince William played here regularly.
Guards Polo Club
Guards Polo Club was founded in 1955 by the Duke of Edinburgh on Crown Estate land in Windsor Great Park. It occupies around 130 acres across two sites – Smith's Lawn and Flemish Farm – with ten polo grounds, making it one of the largest polo clubs in Europe. The setting is hard to beat – flat, immaculate turf framed by ancient oaks and the parkland that stretches south toward Virginia Water and the Surrey border.
The club hosts around 500 matches a season across all levels. The Queen's Cup final is the highlight, but the Gold Cup (now the King's Cup) in July and the season-ending International Day also draw large, well-dressed crowds. Cartier has been the Queen's Cup title sponsor since 2012, adding a layer of luxury branding that fits the occasion.
The Social Occasion
Final day is one of the fixtures of the English summer season. Hospitality marquees line the main ground, Champagne flows from noon, and the dress code is smart. Between chukkas, spectators are invited onto the pitch to tread in divots – a polo tradition that has become one of the most photographed rituals of the English social calendar. For families in north Surrey and the Virginia Water area, Guards Polo Club is practically on the doorstep.
