All the royals, house and overseas, which have competed within the Olympics

As the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony begins this evening, talented athletes from around the world will be preparing to compete for their country.

Watching tonight’s ceremony will be Princess Anne, who was herself a competitor at the 1976 Games in Montreal, in the equestrian three-day event.

But she is far from the only royal to have competed at the Olympics.

Anne’s daughter Zara went one better than her by actually winning a medal – a silver at the 2012 London Olympics as part of the British equestrian team.

Zara did not quite match her father Captain Mark Phillips, who won gold at the 1972 games in Munich. 

The Monaco royals are just as talented, with husband and wife Prince Albert and Princess Charlene having both taken part in the games, in bobsledding and swimming respectively. 

And King Constantine II of Greece won gold in sailing at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. 

Thai royal Prince Bira of Siam also competed in sailing – at the 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1972 Games – but didn’t manage to secure a medal. 

Princess Anne 

Princess Anne was the first of the British Royal Family to compete in the Olympics, at the 1976 Montreal Games. 

Known for her love of horses, she took her passion to the highest level and rode the Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the three-day equestrian event. 

She finished 13th in the jumping section and placed 24th overall.

Despite not winning a medal, the Princess Royal was made a Member of the International Olympic Committee in 1988 and even accepted the Olympic flame in Athens ahead of the 2012 games.

The princess had been set to compete in the 1972 Munich Games, but her hopes were dashed when horse Doublet was injured during a training run. 

A news report from the time shows Anne training on Doublet in the run-up to the Games.

Captain Mark Phillips

Princess Anne’s former husband, Captain Mark Phillips, also took his love for horse riding to a competitive level – and has won two Olympic medals. 

He competed in the 1972 Olympics in Munich and won gold. He and Anne married the following year. 

The sportsman then went on to win a silver medal in the 1988 Seoul Games as the fourth member of the equestrian team.

But he had to withdraw from the rest of the event when his horse got injured. He and Anne divorced in 1992. 

Zara Tindall  

Like her mother and father, Zara Tindall also has a passion – and talent – for horse riding and went a step further by winning a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics. 

She missed out on the 2004 Athens games and Beijing 2008 due to injuries but made up for her past absence when the competition came to England. 

Zara, riding 11-year-old High Kingdom, won silver in the three-day equestrian event. 

Her proud husband, Mike Tindall, said at the time: ‘That Olympic silver, in my book, is right up there with my World Cup medal, if not above it, because it was won at the London Games with so much expectation and pressure.

‘When England won the World Cup we were favourites to do so. Team GB‘s eventing silver wasn’t expected, so to produce that collective performance was outstanding. 

‘Sure, there were tiny margins between gold and silver, just as Jonny Wilkinson’s drop-goal proved to be the tiny margin that won the World Cup. 

But for me the Olympics is the No 1 sporting occasion in the world and Zara and the team smashed it.’ 

King Constantine II of Greece

The late King Constantine II of Greece was a talented sailor and had great success in the sport. 

Starting from the age of 15, Constantine served in his country’s armed forces while attending the different military academies before studying law at the University of Athens.

His athletic ability was proven to the world when he won a gold medal in Dragon class at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

A close friend of Charles, Constantine was also the godfather of Prince William.  

Prince Albert II of Monaco

Coming from a family of competitive rowers, Prince Albert of Monaco has strong sporting genes.

The prince was part of Monaco’s bobsleigh team at five Winter Olympics – 1988 Calgary, 1992 Albertville, 1994 Lillehammer, 1998 Nagano and 2002 Salt Lake City. 

His best finish was placing 25th in the two-man event at the 1988 Games.

Princess Charlene

The wife of Monaco’s Prince Albert, Princess Charlene, competed for South Africa in the 2002 Sydney Olympics.

Charlene’s swimming team finished fifth in the Women’s 4x100m Medley.

She tried to enter the 2008 Olympics but did not qualify and retired from competitive sport in 2007.

The princess met her husband at a swimming competition in 2000 but their relationship was not public until 2006.

Princess Haya bint al Hussein of Jordan

Like Anne and Zara, Princess Haya bint al Hussein of Jordan has a passion for horses.

The princess competed in showjumping at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and was the flagbearer for her country at the opening ceremony. 

She was named Jordan’s Athlete of the Year in 1993 and was the first Arab woman to compete in the equestrian event internationally. 

The Oxford graduate went on to be the International Equestrian Federation president in the International Olympic Committee from 2006 to 2014. 

Prince Bira of Siam, now Thailand

Prince Bira, formally Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh, of Siam, now Thailand, was a talented sportsman.

After a career as a Formula One driver – between 1950 and 1954 – he took up sailing. 

The prince represented his country in the Olympics four times between 1956 and 1972.

However, Bira never won a medal in the Games and his best finish was placing 12th in the 1956 Olympics in the two person keelboat event. 

Prince Michael of Kent 

First cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth, Prince Michael of Kent, was a competitive sportsman in his younger years. 

The rower and bobsledder was on the reserve list for Britain’s bobsleigh team at the 1972 Winter Olympics.

However the royal never managed to compete in the Games.