Elizabeth Godwin

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Elizabeth Godwin
BornDevon, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Service/branchBritish Army
RankCaptain
UnitThe Life Guards
AwardsSword of Honour
Education

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b "Military honours for Exeter School alumnae". Exeter Daily. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Duke of Edinburgh applauds equestrian excellence with presentations to the Army's finest". British Army. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  4. ^ "The First Female Captain of the King's Life Guard: Elizabeth Godwin". Tatler. Condé Nast. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  5. ^ 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.
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