How the King quietly honours his mother’s love for horses

After the death of the most ardent, longstanding patron of horse racing in history — Elizabeth II — the industry feared that the royal seal of approval for the sport would be lost.

Charles, they noted, had never shared her fervour for the turf. Some say she would have preferred to be a stud manager than Queen. But the King has quietly been building his own passion for the sport that his late mother adored, despite the challenges of his new role and a cancer diagnosis.

The Queen’s passion for horse racing was well known. Charles inherited her racehorses and brood mares

MAX MUMBY/INDIGO/GETTY IMAGES

Those close to Charles say he watches the birth of his foals on an iPad via a live feed from the Sandringham royal stud, eagerly anticipates receiving photographs of how they are developing and tunes in to see all