After winning a silver medal in a thrilling team Olympic equestrian event, one could expect Zara Phillips to be riding high.
And the Queen’s granddaughter has just the vehicle for it – a gleaming 26-ton, sky-blue ‘super-lorry’ which has proved crucial to her preparations for the Games.
She has regularly been seen at the wheel of the huge Oakley Supremacy ‘horsebox’ vehicle, which costs £500,000.
The transport method of choice for all but one of Zara’s medal-winning team, it has room for six horses and six human companions to sleep comfortably.
The vehicle comes with a double bed and a fully equipped bathroom, complete with shower, toilet and his and hers washbasins.
Modern appliances can be found in the kitchen, including a dishwasher, a fridge, a freezer, an oven and a microwave.
The gadgets are concealed in walnut cabinets, found beneath stylish granite worktops. Cooking is done on a diesel hob.
Perhaps most impressive of all is the air-conditioned living room, which can slide out to create more space.
It has a plasma television showing satellite programmes and a sound system to provide entertainment on long journeys to events.
At 39ft long, the truck has cameras at the back which relay images to help the driver reverse, as well as ones in each horsebox so they can keep an eye on the animals.
Zara and her team-mates Mary King, Tina Cook, William Fox-Pitt and Nicola Wilson came second in the team eventing competition in Greenwich Park yesterday.
The princess, who is married to rugby player Mike Tindall, follows the success of her father, Captain Mark Phillips, who was a member of Britain’s last gold-winning team in the event – at the Munich Olympics of 1972.
Her medal was presented by her mother, Princess Anne, who has also competed in equestrian events at the Olympics.
Princess Anne represented Great Britain in the 1976 Games in Montreal.