Meet Flora Peel – England’s star ice hockey player who is a descendant of political royalty

With a family fortune made during the cotton mill boom, the Peel family motto is ‘Industria’, while the coat of arms features a bee to symbolize business. It certainly reflects Flora’s attitude to her sport, where her all-round performances helped England reach the semi-finals at the Commonwealth Games.

The 25-year-old has always been athletic. She won the British Slalom Championships as a 12-year-old skier before hockey took over. “It was incredibly fun and I have no idea why I did it, but now it’s more about the fun and less about throwing down the slopes,” she says.

Peel, born in Cheltenham after his family moved south from Lancashire, has lived in the Netherlands in recent seasons, which rules out most of the England or Great Britain players, apart from goalkeeper Maddie Hinch, due to central program commitments. She signed to stay out of The Hague, but after joining the program full-time in January, flew out to Argentina a few days later for her first FIH Pro League matches.

“I threw myself into the deep end, but I feel so lucky to have the opportunity,” she admits. “A lot of players spend years trying to get their first cap.

“I remember the dressing room before the game, someone said the crowd was going to be something you’ve never experienced before and it was. They told me to take it all in and when you start playing hockey, you only think about that, not about the booing they do over there.”