Gai Waterhouse slams the negativity surrounding the royal visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla
Australia’s queen of racing Gai Waterhouse has hit out at the negativity surrounding the royal visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla, saying that “it’s important that they come out”.
Victoria
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The queen of racing Gai Waterhouse has lashed the naysayers of the monarchy during the visit Down Under by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Waterhouse is attending a lunch with their majesties on Monday in Canberra and has been disappointed by the negativity surrounding the couple’s appearance in Australia.
“I have met him and trained for the Queen and the Queen mother,’’ Waterhouse said.
“I was only talking with Charles in the mounting enclosure back last June at Ascot. It’s wonderful that he’s made the effort to come to Australia. I think everyone on the whole has been terribly off-handed and rude. He’s the head of state, it’s important that they come out.”
All six premiers are skipping an engagement with the King and Queen on Monday and are instead sending representatives, a move which has made international headlines after being branded as “insulting”.
Legendary trainer Waterhouse most recently trained the Queen’s top galloper Carlton House, who ran third in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick nine years ago.
She was invited by Buckingham Palace to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022.
She was also a frequent visitor to the Queen’s Royal Box at Royal Ascot.
“I always found her company engaging,” Waterhouse said.
“The Queen loved her racing and loved her horses.”
Two years ago Waterhouse bought a horse from King Charles — Just Fine, a gelded son of Sea The Stars, who made history by becoming a first winner in the royal silks.
King Charles and Queen Camilla did not appear at Royal Randwick on Saturday as had been rumoured.
Their majesties are only in Australia until Wednesday and Saturday was a scheduled day off for the monarch and his wife.
The reason given was to allow the 75-year-old, who is battling cancer, to recuperate after his long flight from London and to prepare himself for the busy schedule in Australia and Samoa, with events underway from Sunday morning.
Originally published as Gai Waterhouse slams the negativity surrounding the royal visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla
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