Royal giggles as couple support charity race day

THE PRINCE of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall raised smiles on a trip to Ascot racecourse where they met riders taking part in The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s biggest fundraising event of the year.

Charles, who turned 70 last week, and his wife Camilla, had trouble cutting a birthday cake to mark his milestone celebrations during their visit for the charity’s raceday, causing the prince to break out into a fit of laughter.

Stepping back from the cake, he said “you can do it” to Camilla. But he returned to finish the first cut with his wife.

The royal couple later presented trophies to the winners of The Prince’s Countryside Fund Charity Race and the Waitrose Handicap Steeple Chase.

The charity race featured 12 riders, including British model Rosie Tapner but it was Rosie Margarson, daughter of racehorse trainer George, on Caribbean Spring who took the prize, with Tapner finishing seventh.

Mr Medic won the Waitrose Handicap Steeple Chase.

Claire Saunders, director of the Prince’s Countryside Fund which was founded by Charles in 2010 to support British farmers and the countryside, said it was “really special” for the Royal couple to attend the charity race for a third time. Since the first Prince’s Countryside Fund Raceday in 2015, more than £1m has been raised at Ascot.

Ms Saunders said: “It’s just so lovely to see the money coming in that we can put to good practical use. Racing is part of the British countryside. The people who work in the countryside and run it are linked so closely to the countryside.”

During the Royals’ visit,they unveiled a 12ft high and 1.5-tonne bronze horse head statue as a belated 70th birthday gift to the prince from the racecourse.

The monument, depicting a horse’s head in a strong wind and named Into The Wind, was created by Nic Fiddian-Green.

The royal couple also took the time to meet patrons and supporters of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, including beef farmer James Richards from Cornwall who benefitted from the charity’s farm resilience programme.

Mr Richards, who gained business skills and training from the charity, said: “He (Charles) is a very, very knowledgeable man about farming, which a lot of people would not expect. It’s a passion that’s very close to his heart and he has had a fantastic influence on farming.”