Queen Elizabeth II’s lifelong love of horse racing was perfectly captured in a remark she made during her speech at King Charles’ wedding to the future Queen Camilla. Elizabeth had been a passionate equestrian enthusiast since childhood, having had her very first riding lesson when she was just three years old.
The following year, she received her first pony, Peggy, and kept up her love of riding right up until she was 90. Although she chose to stay away from the Grand National due to its high horse fatality rate, as a former racehorse owner, she regularly entered her horses at Aintree Racecourse.
Her lifelong devotion to horses was plain for all to see as she delivered her speech at Charles and Camilla’s wedding in 2005. On the morning of the ceremony, Camilla was reportedly so nervous that she refused to get out of bed.
But the then-Queen’s reassuring words, which came on the very same day as the Grand National in which she had a horse running, helped to ease Camilla’s nerves. Elizabeth then delighted the gathered guests with the news that her horse, Hedgehunter, had won at Aintree.
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Her subsequent words were far more poignant as she expressed her joy at welcoming Camilla into the family. She said of the newly-weds: “They have overcome Becher’s Brook and The Chair and all kinds of other terrible obstacles.
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“They have come through and I’m very proud and wish them well. My son is home and dry with the woman he loves.”
The late monarch kept up a daily routine of staying on top of all things horse racing, as her racing manager John Warren revealed in 2021. He said: “Every race that takes place every day of the week, the Queen will certainly read the Racing Post every morning.
“[She’ll] look at the breeding of all the winners the day before and see that these stallions that she uses will be potential horses for her own mares.”
Elizabeth had a particular passion for flat racing and was a familiar face at The Derby and Royal Ascot. Her connection with the Royal Studs at Sandringham began when she inherited them in 1952.
Through her lifelong dedication to horses, she built up an extraordinary depth of knowledge around thoroughbred breeding. Historians believe she possessed far greater expertise than any of her predecessors, owing to her keen interest in the science behind it.
The 2026 Grand National is due off at 4pm on Saturday.
