Queen Camilla is taking the reins.
The Queen Consort, 75, joined horse racing fans at a high-profile festival on Wednesday, heading to Cheltenham for the landmark race meeting of the spring. She kept warm in a fur-trimmed hat and a matching camel coat, accessorized with a silver brooch featuring a galloping horse and rider — a piece that previously belonged to Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Camilla has picked up the mantle of representing the horse racing fraternity from the late monarch, who was a passionate racehorse owner, breeder and spectator.
The focus of Queen Camilla's visit was the Queen Mother Champion Steeplechase (named for Queen Elizabeth's late mother). Before the race, she visited the paddock to check on the horses before presenting the winning trophy at the end of the race.
As Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla supported a number of equestrian charities, including the Ebony Horse Club, the Brooke Hospital for Animals and the British Equestrian Federation.
Queen Camilla is a regular attendee at the Cheltenham races. The late Queen Elizabeth focused mostly on flat racing, with Royal Ascot in June being most closely associated with her.
Cheltenham is about 43 miles from Camilla's country home, Ray Mill House in Wiltshire.
And she's not the only member of the royal family to attend the event. King Charles' niece Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike Tindall, headed to Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday when the week of racing kicked off and returned on Wednesday.
Since a recent bout of COVID, which saw her cancel several outings, Camilla has undertaken a series of events. She joined King Charles and other members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, at the Commonwealth Day service on Monday and headed to Birmingham on Tuesday for an engagement at a ballet school.
Earlier this month, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel to France and Germany ahead of the coronation for the first overseas visits of the new reign. The busy five-day tour — with around 25 different events and outings — will take place from March 26 to March 31.
