A £7 million horse estate that the Queen used to own has been put up for sale by an ex-England footballer.
The 63-acre farm, at West Ilsley in Berkshire, belonged to the former monarch between 1982 and 1999.
The Queen sold it to Mick Channon, a racehorse trainer who played as a striker for the national team in the seventies. The property, previously occupied by the late Major Dick Hern, went on the market in June. A four-time champion of the profession, he prepared 25 Classic winners from the tranquil location.
For the Queen his horses included 1,000 Guineas hero Highclere and daughter Height Of Fashion, subsequently a highly successful broodmare. Hern spent 22 years with the royal thoroughbreds, but the long association ended in controversy when he was sacked by Her Majesty's racing manager Lord Carnarvon.
An advert with Knight Frank , via Berkshire Live , puts a price of £6,975,000 on the property.
It reads: "A famous horse racing yard at the centre of which is a charming, immaculate country house with extensive stabling, cottages and office space set in 62.72 acres, previously owned by The Royal Family."
The stables has a main house with six bedrooms, while there are also four flats, two cottages and 13 bungalows positioned on the vast acreage. For the horses there are 105 loose boxes, 35 stalls, a covered trotting ring and walker, plus a lunging ring.
Channon, based at the facility a short drive from Newbury Racecourse since 1999, has regularly finished in the top six in the British Flat Trainers' Championship.
He spent almost 20 years as an owner-breeder before learning the ropes for his current business.
Channon scored 21 times for England in the seventies and is Southampton's all-time record goalscorer. The trainer, whose best horse was two-time Group 1 scorer Youmzain, previously told the Racing Post why he is looking for a buyer for the stables.
He was denied planning permission for plans to modernise the yard.
"We're looking to develop part of it so we can make it an up-to-date, modern yard. That's what our plans were but we've walked into a brick wall," he said.
"We wanted to build some American-style barns. We're spread out over two or three acres, we have yards all over the place and we need to sell to build, you can't pluck money out of the air."
