Single white horse leads Peterborough funeral procession of former royal horse groomer

A horse led the hearse of a Peterborough resident, who used to groom Prince Philip and Princess Anne’s ponies, to her funeral at Castor on Monday (June 20).

A single horse led the funeral procession of Beryl Margaret Teanby, 83, who had a “love of horses,” after visiting her local stables as a child.

The horse led her to St Kyneburgha Church, which Beryl’s daughter, Lisa Teanby, said was “a fitting tribute” to her mum.

Beryl, who was born in Greater Manchester in 1938, was the daughter of bakers and confectioners Ivy and Harold Kinder.

Her grandmother helped her to buy her first horse, Limerick, when she was a teenager before Beryl’s hobby then became a career.

She became a professional groom and cared for Prince Philip’s polo ponies in the summer and she started leading Princess Anne’s horse when she was young and hunt horses in the winter.

Husband and wife met over a stable yard

It was while working for the Cheshire Hunt that she met her husband Tom Teanby, who was in hunt service.

“As they told it, their eyes met over a stable yard when he went to fill his bucket of coal one night and the rest is history,” Lisa said.

Beryl and Tom moved to the Percy Hounds, in Northumberland, followed by The York and Ainsty, in Yorkshire, where their son Colin Teanby was born 1966.

Lisa was born three years later in South Devon.

After the family relocated to several locations across the country, it was at the Fitzwilliam Milton Hunt, in Peterborough, where Beryl started taking an interest in her dogs.

Tom gifted her a black Labrador puppy, called Boris, which she took to obedience classes and performed as part of a display team. She later attended showing classes with her English bull terrier Winifred.

Tom died at the age of 46, after falling from his horse while on a hound exercise the day after the family buried Beryl's mother, in January 1984. “Beryl never truly regained her equilibrium,” Lisa said. “But she kept going ‘for the sake of the children’”.

Love of theatre and travelling

She joined various amateur dramatics groups and her love of theatre would see her visit London shows. Visits to Peterborough's Key Theatre became an almost weekly event. She became part of the committee running the club for theatre fans.

Beryl also had a passion for travelling and visited Australia for the last six weeks of Lisa’s year down under - fulfilling a dream of going to Hong Kong on her way back.

She was proud of her son Colin’s musical talents. He joined a band, playing bass guitar and she allowed the band to practice in her garage every week.

Beryl was delighted when she became a grandma, welcoming April and Heather into the family, when Colin and his partner Sarah started their family.

“I'm sure she would be proud of the young women they have become,” Lisa said.

‘Reunited in spirit with her loved ones and beloved animals’

Beryl lived on the Milton Estate after Tom’s death and was forced to move into permanent care for the final 18 months of her life as her dementia deteriorated.

“Dementia is a cruel disease and the last few months of Beryl's life were particularly hard for her to bear,” Lisa said.

“It is with sad relief that Beryl is now no longer suffering. We can only hope she is reunited in spirit with her loved ones and beloved animals.

“Beryl didn't want anyone to wear black at her funeral, so to all those who chose something different, thank you - she’d be pleased.”