King Charles is planning cameo appearance at Royal Randwick for Everest at Australian tour
King Charles could put the royal back into Royal Randwick. With no official engagement planned on Everest Day, the door is open for him to attend the race meeting.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Exclusive
Now it really is royal Randwick.
King Charles III could make a possible 11th hour appearance at Sydney’s biggest race meeting featuring the $20 million The TAB Everest at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
The King is due to visit Australia on a whirlwind five-day tour, his first as the ruling Monarch, and arrives in Sydney on Friday, the eve of The Everest at Royal Randwick.
His entourage have planned no official engagement for the King on Everest Day, opening the door for him to attend the race meeting which has the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m) named in his honour.
It is understood “contingency” plans are in place if he decides to make a cameo appearance at Randwick.
The King’s down under tour which also includes a visit to Samoa to open CHOGM has been shortened due to health concerns.
The 75-year-old Monarch was hospitalised in January for a benign prostate enlargement when it was discovered he had cancer.
Details of his exact illness remain confidential but his chemotherapy treatment will be paused until he returns to England 11 days later.
Monarchists were buoyed by the news the King could attend the Everest Meeting on Saturday (October 19), saying “after all it’s a race that was named in his honour”.
It is understood the Premier Chris Minns’ officials have booked out executive seating for the race meeting.
The King will arrive in Sydney on the evening of October 18 with no events planned for the following day.
Philip Benwell, chairman of Australian Monarchist League said: “There was an expectation that the King would be at the King Charles III Stakes, it was delayed to fit in with his visit, and if he can’t make it many people will be very disappointed.
“If the Queen were here she would move heaven and earth to attend it and she would honour both the race and people involved.
“We are hearing that the King is coming to the races named in his honour – on a future occasion he won’t be here at the same time that the race runs.
“The King’s visit coincides with the time of the race, so it makes sense for him to go even if he pops in and pops out, – it was after all named after him on the day of his accession,” he said.
The King’s official itinerary for the five-day Australian tour was released last month and it did not include the Everest meeting on October 19.
But it is understood, depending on how the King feels on the tour, he might add other events to his schedule.
Racegoers are excited for the possible change of scheduling for the ruling monarch to be trackside at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
This would understandably cause a last minute rush to organise logistics for Racing NSW and Australian Turf Club officials including security and crowd control.
Royal Randwick is the only racecourse in the world that has the “Royal” prefix.
England’s famous Royal Ascot meeting is held annually over five days in June but for the rest of the year the racetrack is known as Ascot.
King Charles has developed a fervent passion for the thoroughbred since developing the same racing and breeding interests of late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The race-loving King regularly attends England’s famous Royal Ascot meeting and celebrated with a winner there last year with Desert Hero in the prestigious King George V Stakes.
King Charles III had been ordered by doctors to scale back his proposed Australian visit later this year as he continues chemotherapy for his cancer.
His Majesty will tour Australia and Samoa but a planned visit to New Zealand was cancelled on doctors’ advice.
His first tour of Australia as monarch – and the first to the realm by a British king – has been cut back to three days of public engagements prior to attending the Commonwealth Heads Of Government meeting in Samoa starting on October 21.
Earlier this year, the King’s principal private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, was in Sydney on a reconnaissance of the royal tour.
It is understood senior Minns Government officials had been lobbying for The King to visit Sydney in October.
The King’s Australian leg of the tour will last up to two days before His Majesty travels to Samoa next Wednesday for three days. The tour will be the first time a Royal has visited the Commonwealth realm since Queen Elizabeth II in 2011.
King Charles has already made 15 visits to Australia, the last being in 2018 to open the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
A spokesman for Chris Minns maintained he never booked tickets for the Everest meeting.
More Coverage
Originally published as King Charles is planning cameo appearance at Royal Randwick for Everest at Australian tour
Join the conversation
Vapes, weed, grog: Social media has a lot to answer for
Illegal and banned substances are become more and more common thanks to an alarming social media trend.
Read more
‘Deeply concerned’: Calls for Sydney Uni boss to resign
The University of Sydney’s council of professors has sensationally called for Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott’s resignation after a tenure they say is marked by “a series of unresolved issues”.
Read more