King Charles has inherited all of the castles, palaces, forts, jewels, orbs, paintings, sculptures, rugs and candlesticks from his late mother. But did you also know that Charles inherited QEII’s massive horse operation? QEII was an important figure in the British horse racing and horse breeding community. Her stable of racehorses is worth millions, and she was involved in one of the largest horse breeding programs in the UK. In the past five years, her horses have won millions of pounds in race earnings. That being said, the upkeep on QEII’s stables is insanely expensive. So what is King Charles going to do about the horses, the stables and the breeding programs? He’s apparently going to hand the whole operation to his wife. There’s a reason why people (my mother) neigh when they hear Camilla’s name.
The Queen Consort is expected to take control of the royal stables with the King likely to scale back the number of horses to reduce a £1 million a year loss. The reign of Charles III on the racecourse began yesterday with a second place at Salisbury for Educator, a horse bred by his mother. While the Queen was famed for her love of the sport, the King, who had a brief spell as an amateur jockey in the 1980s, does not have the same enthusiasm and will leave Camilla to handle the relationship with trainers.
The Queen had her best season last year with total winnings of £584,000. However, the 50 horses in her stables are estimated to cost £1.5 million a year. A racing source said that Charles would want to reduce the losses.
“Camilla has a real love of racing and she will be the person who speaks with the trainers each day in the way the Queen had,” said a senior racing source. “I don’t think the King will want to keep 40-50 horses with ten trainers. He will want to slim down the operation.”
The Queen spent her final weekend with her bloodstock adviser, John Warren, and he believes that she had bred her best crop of yearlings in a lifetime devoted to racing. Warren said of the King: “He has always followed it, but it has been his mother’s interest so it has been at arm’s length. He owns a few horses himself, in particular with the Duchess of Cornwall. She is absolutely besotted by racing.”
Racing has helped Britain maintain relationships with the royal rulers in the Middle East. The kings and sheikhs were regular guests at Royal Ascot and the Windsor Horse Show, during which Foreign Office mandarins could organise meetings. The Queen had a close relationship with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, 73, the ruler of Dubai. She continued to accept gifts of horses from the sheikh’s Godolphin stables even after a London court ruled that he had acted in a “coercive and controlling manner” towards one of his wives, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein of Jordan, and had kidnapped two of his own daughters.
The King was unlikely to accept further horses to avoid embarrassment over the court rulings but would not wish to cause offence, so would put it down to his plans to reduce the size of his stables, said a racing source.
Those that run the sport are acutely aware of how important the Queen’s backing was for racing. Joe Saumarez Smith, chairman of the British Horseracing Authority, said: “Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II left an indelible mark on our sport and her legacy will continue to be felt, not only through the horses that will continue to run in the name of the King.”
It reads to me like the horse community is suspicious of King Charles, but they like Camilla (a natural ally, lol). I’m sort of on Charles’s side on this though – QEII’s horse operation was excessive and expensive, and it’s natural for Charles to want to downsize his mother’s passion project. I wonder if Camilla will actually take the steps to downsize though. I also have to ask… what’s the deal with the royal stables and all? Are the horses privately owned by King Charles, or are the stables and horses property of “the crown”? And who was paying for all of these horses and all of this upkeep and the stables? If Charles starts selling off racehorses and broodmares, who gets the profit?
Photos courtesy of Instar, Avalon Red.
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- The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall meet the jockeys following the Prince’s Countryside Fund Raceday at Ascot.,Image: 534678627, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- The Duchess of Cornwall is interviewed by ITV racing correspondent Oli Bell, during a visit to meet Ebony Horse Club students at Ascot’s November racing weekend at Ascot Racecourse. Ebony Horse Club is a charity and community riding centre in Brixton, London.,Image: 644092668, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Dominic Lipinski / Avalon
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- Prince Charles and Camilla attend Royal Ascot 2022 at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, UK.,Image: 700222070, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Prince Charles and Camilla attend Royal Ascot 2022 at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, UK.,Image: 700222111, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during The Oldie Luncheon, in celebration of her 75th Birthday at National Liberal Club on July 12, 2022 in London, England.,Image: 706844548, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
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And who gets the prize money if the horses win? Whose pockets are being lined?
As with everything royal, we need someone to follow the money.
Camilla’s closeup’s smiling pics are always the best
I actually like that Camilla isn’t pinched, pulled, botoxed, and filled into an unnatural and creepy attempt to hang onto youth.
Ditto. While I think Camilla is in desperate need of a new hairstyle, I also admire the fact that she’s not plastic looking.
I’m not anti-Camilla (nor am I pro-Camilla)… I guess I’m just ambivalent towards her. I always figured that the Queen and Prince Philip should have just let Charles marry her in the first place… but heaven forbid should the future King not marry a virgin.
@Kelly S
Camilla married who she wanted to marry – Parker-Bowles was the catch of the season! Charles didn’t particularly want to marry her when they were younger either. She just wanted to be his mistress – all the power, none of the responsibility. If Charles hadn’t done that interview and told the world they were having an affair, Tom would not have divorced her.
Camilla s complexion was ruined by smoking and overexposure to the sun. Camilla bothers me because of how she treated Diana and meghan.
One of the way they muddy the waters between what is public money or private money. I suspect the money for keeping things running is from public funds but they pocket the money from profits for themselves.
The breeding operation is based as Sandringham so I think the horses are private property. It makes sense that Charles wants to wind down an operation that loses what is now his money.
Tide fisted Charley doesn’t like to do business that costs him money, so sooner or later the horsy business will go, I think. I gif it a year or two – as a hobby for his darling wife and to please the horsy community.
Mothers are so catty when it comes to Camilla. My mom’s that way, too. It’s glorious to see actually, how many older women are Team Diana. Especially women who were young mothers at the same time as Diana. My mom’s a Diana Ride or Die.
All this to say that my mom would probably neigh when she reads this story, too. And I’ll bet the neighs will be heard up and down the UK by women of a certain age on this blue morn.
My mother too. She won’t refer to Camilla by name, only “that woman”.
Camilla, the usurped, contradicted their views of the idea of marriage.
Women of a certain age, were of the opinion that she should have removed herself from the triangle, and let the former Wales work on their marriage.
They probably felt that the kinship among married women, destroyed by Camilla.
Her actions challenged their belief system.
The poll numbers were consistent over the decades with particularly women who hold those beliefs to be true.
Camilla doesn’t seem to be terribly popular in general.
This should tell us everything we need to know about that institution and their priorities:
“The Queen had a close relationship with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, 73, the ruler of Dubai. She continued to accept gifts of horses from the sheikh’s Godolphin stables even after a London court ruled that he had acted in a “coercive and controlling manner” towards one of his wives, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein of Jordan, and had kidnapped two of his own daughters.”
@soapbox – I was just about to post the same thing. Yikes.
Yeah, yikes. It’s bad.
It certainly tells me a lot about Elizabeth and her priorities… things I had suspected but which would never have been confirmed during her lifetime. The gloves are off!
Its not surprising. She didn’t have a problem with Andrew being pals with a trafficker of young women or with young Diana being abused. She was a strange woman, the queen. Very strange and I’ll leave it at that.
Right. And rather than say no thank you to additional gifts of horses, ’cause Charles wouldn’t want to hurt the Sheikh’s feelings, Charles would prefer to say sorry, no, I’m downsizing the stables. Good gad!
It’s interesting that the Queen could have horse racing operations with objection from the press but according to the same press, Harry and Meghan can’t have private business dealings.
But it’s OK for Mike Tindall to do some cheesy TV show?
Yep. And the Duchy cookies and the gin.
I’m fascinated— and appalled — by the idea that it was viewed as fine to spend major money on the horses and their continued well-being, but saw security for the Sussex family as an unwelcome expense.
Lol: It would be great if some of this stuff could be officially added to illustrate a few dictionary definitions of “double standard.”
That should be “no objection”
Unbridled privilege (excuse the pun)! If the British government actually held the British Royal Family to some level of transparency, I’m sure that what they would find out in terms of some basic corruption standard for public officials would be jaw-dropping.
Come.on Parliament, get a backbone and do it!
Interesting blurb about the ties to the Middle East and Dubai etc. That was a clear choice to include that information in this article and to remind us of the royal family’s shadiness, even the Queen.
I wish King Charles111 would refrain from speaking like a business man, we have heard a lot from them and have seen the havoc they wreck in the UK in the form of brexit.
Whatever happened to nobless oblige, instead of the vulgar subject of money, properties and operating expenses.
Interesting. And, here I thought Zara would take over managing the Queen’s horse operation. At least, she implied that would be the case in an interview. Is this why Mike Tindall needs to run around on an island with a bunch of other z-list celebrity loons?
Zara can run her mother’s horse operation when Anne’s gone. It’s not talked about a lot but Anne’s in the horse breeding business too.
Fascinating.
As an unapologetic horse girl, if I was Camilla I’d jump on the chance to be involved with those racehorses!
Tracy Ullman has a hilarious sketch where she impersonates Camilla where her Camilla relates to and talks about everything in horse racing and horse breeding terms. It’s too funny!
https://youtu.be/YYg8zleKaTs
https://youtu.be/5GxMThiyzdc
Many years ago my mother was listening to the radio and told me something she’d overheard. We’re from New Zealand and a New Zealand vet who had just returned home was relating how he had worked for the official royal veterinarians to the Queen. He had just treated one of the Queen’s horses and was writing out a bill, and a senior vet snatched it out of his hands and said, “We NEVER charge royalty.”
It’s a grift. If you are an official supplier of goods and services to royalty you get a crest from them. Good advertising right? And in return, how much free shit do you think royalty get? And it’s ALL the official suppliers who get these crests. Tailors, gin makers, cars manufacturers, probably some marmalade company has an official seal. And it wasn’t just the queen giving out these crests, it was Phillip, Charles and god knows who else. This has been going on for YEARS.
There is even a letter from the queen mother (before she became the queen) to one of her dressmakers saying she would very much like to continue having her clothes made by them, but they are a little too dear (expensive) for her. Basically threatening to take her business elsewhere unless she got a discount.
THE GRIFT IS STRONG IN THEM.
People here have referenced the reports that indicate that having a royal patron doesn’t really benefit charities. I wonder if there is anything similar regarding the royal crests. So if you are a baker and get a crest does it help your business in any appreciable way? And how many freebies do you give the royals every year? Like I would think after a while it just wouldn’t be worth it if you give numerous items for free all the time.
Honestly, this was a while ago so things might have changed. But even so, the British royal family are basically gatekeepers to high society in the UK. Some business owner might want the prestige of being associated with royalty, perhaps getting to meet royalty and mixing in the same circles as them? It’s not necessarily about the money or profit, but chache perhaps?
And I think there are some who still value the association with royalty, and having a crest on a product will tip them over into buying that item instead of a competitors.
“Ah yes, I used the same window installers as the queen.”
(Yes, this is another thing I’m now remembering. It was some home reno/building show, and the woman had problems with the window installers, and she commented that she thought the official suppliers to the queen would be better.)
I hope the influence of these crests is diminishing because royalty still holds a political position in the UK. If a politician accepted the amount of freebies I’m assuming royalty does, the they would be had up for bribery.
I have no doubt, @nocturne. KP only said that the Royals don’t accept discounted items when Meghan came on the scene.
Interesting that this article mentions the link to rulers gifting horses – Charles should let them know that he’ll prefer HIS bribes in cash, please. Preferably in an easy to carry grocery bag.
This line made me laugh: “The Queen spent her final weekend with her bloodstock adviser …”
Priorities.
Corruption and shady dealings aside, to site only the winnings and not all the stud fees when calculating the cost of her late pettiness’s stable is disingenuous at best. That being said the whole sport is a fucking scam, but that’s rich buttholes for you.
I was hoping Camilla would be one of the racehorses let go, but I remembered she can’t run what with all the drinking.
The animal comparisons to Cumiller is an insult to Rottweilers and horses.
Sorry, Paulkid, you are right.
I believe the maintenance of the horse, stables, and salaries for the staff exceeds 1.5 million annually. Their financial reports are padded; we’ll never know the actual costs. Charles gives Camilla a definite responsibility concerning something she enjoys, and that’s a plus for him.