Captain Elizabeth Godwin is a British Army officer in the Household Cavalry. She was the first woman to commission into The Life Guards, becoming an officer in the regiment in 2020.
Early life and education
Godwin grew up in Devon.[1] She comes from a military family and her grandfather, who served in the British Army, was stationed in Egypt, Gibraltar, and India.[1]
She was educated at Elm Grove School in Topsham and Exeter School, where she played field hockey, was an equestrian, and a member of the Combined Cadet Force.[1][2] After Exeter, she completed her A-levels at Trent College. Godwin was awarded an army scholarship and a spot at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[1] She studied nursing at King's College London while working at Great Ormond Street Hospital and serving in the Army Reserves.[1]
In 2019, while completing her military training at Sandhurst, she was awarded the Sword of Honour.[1][2]
Military career
Godwin was the first female officer to commission into The Life Guards, joining in 2020.[1][3] Women were first permitted to join the regiment in 2018.[4]
As an officer, she commanded vehicles patrolling across Dartmoor and led her platoon on exercises in Gibraltar.[1] In 2022, she moved to Hyde Park Barracks in London from Bulford Camp on Salisbury Plain.[1] Later that year, she rode in the processions during the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.[1]
She was present at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla as part of the Sovereign's Escort during the processions.[5]
In 2023, Godwin led an escort of forty-seven soldiers and thirty-three horses for Anne, Princess Royal at CHIO Aachen in Germany.[1] She orchestrated the regiment's Musical Ride, which is a series of cavalry drills set to music, which was performed in front of forty-thousand people.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chelsea, Davina (1 September 2023). "Meet the history-making Captain Elizabeth Godwin as she takes Talter behind the scenes at Horse Guards and Hyde Park Barracks". Tatler. Condé Nast. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Military honours for Exeter School alumnae". Exeter Daily. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "Duke of Edinburgh applauds equestrian excellence with presentations to the Army's finest". British Army. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "The First Female Captain of the King's Life Guard: Elizabeth Godwin". Tatler. Condé Nast. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ Caamano, Andrea (10 May 2023). "Coronation special podcast: Royal guest Prince Albert of Monaco answers our burning questions & we get the gossip from the afterparty". Hello!. Retrieved 6 September 2023.