Royalty and more: Inside ‘Big Bill’ Waterhouse’s funeral

“King of the bookies” Bill Waterhouse was farewelled this week after dying at the age of 97 last month — and there were a few surprises among the attendees.

Bookmaker Bill Waterhouse was farewelled last week.

Bookmaking patriarch “Big Bill” Waterhouse wasn’t everyone’s favourite.

A month after dying at the ripe old age of 97, the “King of the Bookies” was to be farewelled at Randwick Racecourse.

But that was changed for the more intimate confines of the Kirribilli Yacht Club when not everyone was able to make it, including Gai Waterhouse, who is married to the son of “Big Bill”, Robbie.

Gai was too ill to attend, but two who did represent were King Tupou VI of Tonga and Queen Nanasipau’u.

Tom Waterhouse and his father, Robert, carry Bill Waterhouse’s coffin during the funeral on Thursday. Picture: AAP Image/Mark Evans

Bill Waterhouse’s widow, Suzanne, splashes holy water on his coffin during the funeral. Picture: AAP Image/Mark Evans

Big Bill had a longstanding relationship with the Pacific island nation for which he held the title of Honorary Consul-General.

Page 13 was told the mourners represented “a fraction of the number at Bart Cummings send-off, which was in the thousands.”

Master trainer Cummings, who died in 2015, blamed Waterhouse for the “nobbling” of Big Philou before the 1969 Melbourne Cup.

Waterhouse denied doing anything to stop the Caulfield Cup winner from running in the Melbourne Cup and said it would have been a big payday for him had Big Philou won.

He would say that, wouldn’t he?

Big Bill taught his grandson Tom the dark arts of bookmaking and the now online bookie gave the eulogy for his larger-than-life grandfather.

Bart Cummings’ state funeral was attended by thousands. Picture: Toby Zerna

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Bill Waterhouse and Tom’s father, Robbie, who did make it to the wake, were warned off racecourses for life after the Fine Cotton “ring-in” affair.

But both were later reinstated as bookmakers.

David Waterhouse, who was estranged from his father for more than 27 years, told the Herald Sun’s Andrew Rule he cut ties with his dad after a trip to Tonga as a young man when Big Bill asked him to “mind” an illegal marijuana crop.

Put that in your hash pipe and smoke it!