Lady Louise Windsor pictured with special university friend during horse trials - see photos

Beaming as they race through the Sandringham Estate in a horse-drawn carriage, Lady Louise Windsor looked thrilled to have a handsome companion at her side.

The King's niece was photographed with Felix da Silva-Clamp as she took part in the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Friday. The pair certainly appeared to be a winning team as Felix, a fellow student at St Andrew's University in Scotland, hopped aboard Louise's carriage, smiling broadly.

Felix had been driven to the event by Louise's mother, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and looked relaxed as he chatted to Sophie in the grounds later.

"Felix and the Duchess looked very at ease with each other," an onlooker commented. "They turned up in the car just ten minutes before Louise's first event and watched her eagerly."

After her first event, Louise, 20, in a smart beige coat, matching gloves and riding helmet, took Felix for a ride around on her carriage. The student, who was casual in chinos, a blue jacket and baseball cap, smiled broadly. "They seemed very comfortable together," the onlooker added. "They were chatting and looking at each other all the way around. They went for a couple of walks together in between her two events as well, they are clearly very close." Take a look in the video below...

St Andrew’s, where Louise is studying English Literature, is the same university where the Prince and Princess of Wales met and fell in love, and Louise and Felix appear to be bonding over a shared passion for amateur dramatics.

Earlier this year, the couple appeared together in a production called Dragon Fever at the university's Byre Theatre. In the play, described as "an ambitious cross between an Agatha Christie mystery and Tolkien’s The Hobbit", Louise played "powerful and cynical witch" Nilvana and "displayed impressive physicality and gave a compelling performance", according to student newspaper The Saint, while Felix gave a "standout" performance as Mr Owl.

Felix, who was educated at Melbourne Grammar School in Australia, works part time as a "gelato artist" at Jannetta's Gelateria in St Andrew's, where a fellow employee described him to HELLO! as "a lovely person".

Louise, who is 16th in line to the throne, inherited her love of carriage driving from her late grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh, whose title her father now holds. Prince Philip started the Sandringham trials so he could bring one of his favourite sports to one of his favourite places.

This was the first time the young royal, who made her eventing debut three years ago, had competed in the event.