King Charles is adamant that he will attend and “honor” his late mother, Queen Elizabeth I, at this year’s Royal Ascot. According to The Blast, the reigning monarch reportedly wants to attend to honor the late queen’s love of horse racing and the horses she had under care in her stables.
According to The Blast, King Charles is reportedly “determined” to witness his own horses in competition at the event, while the event organizers are hoping the king’s presence will bump up ticket sales.
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The Royal Ascot is around a week of races, highlighted by the Gold Cup, Royal Hunt Cup and the Queen’s Vase. These trophies can be kept by the winner of the race and many horses have won, with the Gold Cup standing as the most prestigious for long-distance horses.
Queen Elizabeth attended or kept watch on the races all the way up until 2022, the year she died. According to the outlet, she only was absent from the event one time in her 70-year reign. The five-day event is typically held in June and Charles seems pressed to attend.
According to The Daily Mail, King Charles is also hoping to attend the annual Trooping the Colour three days before Royal Ascot gets started. “Ascot is the perfect event for his current ‘bubble’-style distancing preferences – there will be lots of fresh air and plenty of chances to be seen by Royal fans who will be desperate to get a glimpse. I would bet that he attends on Tuesday, the day of the King Charles III stakes,” the source added.
The King Charles III Stakes was added in 2023 in honor of his first “racing week” as England’s monarch. We’ll have to keep an eye on his final decision once the date gets closer.
