The King and Queen returned to the Epsom Derby on Saturday, where thousands defied blustery winds and summer showers to enjoy one of the most celebrated events in the racing calendar.
Arriving straight from the wedding of the Princess Royal’s son Peter Phillips, which took place in the Cotswolds on Saturday morning, Charles and Camilla were greeted by cheers as they stepped out of their car at the Surrey racecourse.
The Queen wore a Jockey Club badge pinned to a pastel yellow dress and matching jacket, and joined many racegoers in sheltering from the rain under an umbrella.
The King, in a morning suit with a matching pastel yellow waistcoat and top hat, wore a Royal Artillery tie pin in tribute to Lance Bombardier Ciara Sullivan.
Ms Sullivan, who was part of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, died after falling from her horse at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May.
Making their way up to watch the races from the royal box, the couple greeted racegoers in the Queen Elizabeth II enclosure, shaking hands and remarking on the poor weather.
They were joined in the box by TV cook and former Great British Bake Off judge Dame Mary Berry, Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles, makeup artist and entrepreneur Charlotte Tilbury and broadcaster Clare Balding.
Dame Mary said it was “wonderful” to be joined at the races by the King and Queen, adding: “We came in and everybody was so excited, everybody was looking so smart.
“It’s the classic, the Derby. It’s the oldest race and it’s the one that everybody wants to follow.
“It’s steeped in history. Everybody knows all about the Derby and wants to watch it on the telly if they can’t get here.”
Before the main event, Charles and Camilla presented the traditional ceremonial cap to jockey Rowan Scott, a custom for those riding in the Derby for the first time.
Traditionally the role of Derby-winning jockeys, it is thought to be the first time a member of the royal family has presented the cap.
Speaking to owners and racegoers after wishing Scott well, Charles joked: “Don’t spend too much money on betting.”
The King and Queen, who are joint patrons of The Jockey Club, were last at the racecourse in May 2024, when their horse Treasure was well beaten in the Oaks.
This year they revived a royal tradition when they congratulated jockey Ronan Whelan after Christmas Day soared to victory in the Derby, as well as the horse’s trainer and owners, and presented the Derby Trophy.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, presented the trophy to the winning connections of the 2016 Derby, in celebration of her 90th birthday.
The classic race was beloved by Elizabeth, who only missed two Derby days during her reign – in 1956, while on a state visit in Sweden, and in 1984, while attending commemorations marking the 40th anniversary of D-Day in France.
Now in its 247th year, the Epsom Derby is the original Derby, after which hundreds of horse races and other sporting events are named.
