Girl power as female knights join jousters at Leeds Castle

WATCH: Joe Coshan reports from Leeds Castle.

Female jousters have, for the first time, been proving they are just as terrifying as their male counterparts.

Thousands of visitors have enjoyed a weekend of medieval living -and fighting- at Leeds Castle in Kent.

England and France went head-to-head for the Queen's Joust, battling for the coveted cup.

This year organisers wanted female knights to compete, to bring what was typically a male-dominated medieval sport into the 21st century - and they didn't pull any punches.

Emma Pearn, a member of The England Knights said she was inspired to take up jousting after watching the event at Leeds Castle as a child.

"A few years ago, I was that small kid in the crowd, cheering people on," she said. "You get a lot of energy from it- it's good fun, and it distracts you from the pain you're about to go through!

"You have to train hard for it. The armour isn't too heavy but you have to get used to it, especially while you're on the horse.

"But we do it because we love it, but you do have to have a decent level of fitness."

Emma Pearn and French jouster Alexander Leon explain what they love about the sport.

Kyle Van Dolah-Evans who organised the event, said women have always played a part in jousting, but normally as spectators; "Women are allowed to compete now, on a par with the men.

"Historically women were the judges of the tournament.

"Yes, there were people keeping score, but at the end of the day, the women were the ones picking the final winner.

"They were thought to be better judges of sportsmanship and fair play than the men, but there was nothing stopping them choosing the knight that they thought was cuter!"

Returning after the pandemic, the event was a chance to learn about all aspects of medieval life, and highlighted how the role of women has changed.

For more information on the event click here