King Charles is selling 12 of Queen Elizabeth's racehorses later this month.
King Charles is selling 12 of Queen Elizabeth's racehorses.
The 73-year-old monarch inherited his mother's stable after she died last month but he is planning to cut her racing operation and will be getting rid of almost a third of the 37 equines she has had in races this year at Newmarket's Tattersalls auction later this month.
Charles is planning more sales in the future, but amongst the first he will be getting rid of is Just Fine, who is trained by Sir Michael Stoute and was the first of the new king's winners late last month, and Love Affairs, the queen's last winner just two days before her death.
An insider said of Charles' sale plans: "The connection between the family and the horse racing industry will continue.
"The desire is to continue with the traditions and connections with Royal Ascot but not on the same scale as Her Majesty because she had a passion."
A source close to the Royal Sandringham stud in Norfolk - which has 60 racehorses and 38 brood mares - said there is talk of "winding down" the breeding operation over three years until it is no longer a commercial endeavour.
The source told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: "The Royal stud could be a museum in three years. It would be a real shame.’"
There are 30 foals expected to be born in the new year and they will fetch high prices as the last bred by the queen.
According to the source, some horses have already been sold as part of the "natural churn", with the monarch typically selling around seven horses a year.
Last year saw the queen's most successful ever in the sport, earning £590,000 prize money from 36 winners.
The queen - who subsidised the running costs of her horse hobby from her private purse as it wasn't always profitable - also kept around 30 show horses.
Earlier this month, she posthumously won a top prize at the Horse of the Year show for her retrained racehorse First Receiver.
On the same day that Glastonbury welcomed back Margate's adopted sons, The Libertines, Margate itself put on it's very own Leisure Festival as it...
Sheffield's very own all girl group Pretty Fierce are still on a high after the recent release of their debut single - 'Ready For Me'.
Three nights before the end of his current tour Will Varley returned to his home town of Deal to delight a sold out crowd in The Astor Theatre.
With only a few days to go before Portsmouth based songstress and producer WYSE releases her new single, 'Belladonna', we caught up with her to find...
Colorado raised, Glasgow educated and Manchester based Bay Bryan is nothing if not a multi-talented, multi-faceted artist performing as both...
Former Marigolds band member Keelan Cunningham has rediscovered his love of music with his new solo project Keelan X.
Wiltshire singer-songwriter Luke De Sciscio, formally known as Folk Boy, is set to release is latest album - 'The Banquet' via AntiFragile Music on...
Electronic music pioneer and producer Annie Elise says that the release of her first EP - 'Breathe In, Breathe Out' feels "both vulnerable and...