I don’t ride any longer, I think I’m too old, says Camilla, 75
. . . unlike her mother in law, who was in the saddle well into her 90s
THE late Queen was riding horses into her 90s, but the younger Queen Consort has revealed it is a pleasure she is now ‘too old’ to enjoy.
During last week’s State visit to Germany, Camilla, 75, told school children she could no longer ride, but found time to keep in touch with her horses – even watching a video during the trip of one giving birth.
Speaking with the youngsters in Hamburg, Her Majesty said: ‘I used to have horses I rode but sadly I don’t ride any longer. I think I’m too old, but I have racehorses.’
To keep an eye on her racehorses – some of which race under the King’s colours and some under her own – the Queen Consort has been
‘She can’t ensure she stays safe in the saddle’
given a ‘live stream’ to the foaling boxes where the mares give birth.
She said: ‘Last night I watched on my screen one of the foals being born, which was very exciting.’
It is understood that Camilla stopped riding as she believes that to ‘stay safe’, one must keep it up. A Palace insider said: ‘The Queen Consort has found she doesn’t have time to do what is required to ensure she stays safe in the saddle’.
The Queen Consort, who will be crowned alongside the King next month, is known for her love of horses – a passion she shared with her late mother-in-law.
King Charles is also an accomplished rider, even having a stint as an amateur jockey in the 1980s. But the new monarch does not share the same enthusiasm for racing – ‘the sport of kings’ – as his wife.
Royal insiders say this is why Camilla, rather than the King, has taken over the running of the late Queen’s stables. The role sees Camilla tasked with maintaining relationships with the late Queen’s trainers and overseeing the stables.
John Warren, the late Queen’s Royal racing adviser, previously said that it was Camilla, rather than her husband, who had the greatest passion for horses.
He said: ‘It has been his [the King’s] mother’s interest so it has been at arm’s length. He owns a few horses himself, in particular with the [then] Duchess of Cornwall. She is absolutely besotted by racing.’
The Queen Consort was said to be ‘very sorry’ when poor weather disrupted her travel plans last month, forcing her to pull out of the 40th anniversary celebration of the British Racing School at Newmarket. As Duchess of Cornwall, she supported equestrian charities such as the British Equestrian Federation and Brooke Hospital for Animals.
In 2013, she joined Queen Elizabeth II on a visit to the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, South London, where children learn to ride in an urban setting. The end of the Queen Consort’s riding hobby was revealed as she joined Axel Scheffler – who illustrated The Gruffalo – in a reading of the book to school children in Hamburg.
The Queen Consort added that her hobbies were gardening, reading and swimming in the sea. Despite fearing she may be too old for some hobbies, the Queen Consort enjoyed a packed three-day schedule of events in Germany. These included late-night state banquets and visits around Berlin and Hamburg. She is understood to be humbled by the overwhelming reception from the German public.