‘Very sad’: King’s personal note about rumoured Aussie appearance revealed

King Charles’ personally-written letter regarding a widely-rumoured appearance at a Sydney race day has been revealed.

A personal letter written by King Charles to Racing NSW has revealed how he really felt about missing The Everest race meeting in Sydney last week.

The King, whose whirlwind Australian tour will officially wrap up on Wednesday, was widely rumoured to be attending the popular horse racing event at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

According to The Daily Telegraph, which obtained the letter, the King specifically requested that Racing NSW chairperson Dr Saranne Cook, to whom it was addressed, “very kindly pass on my warmest congratulations to all the winning connections” on Everest Day.

The royal couple in Sydney on Tuesday. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

He and Queen Camilla had flown into Sydney with plenty of fanfare on Friday night, with a full day of “rest” scheduled for the following day – which many believed he may use to check out The Everest, given the royal family’s passion for horse racing.

The Telegraph reports that the letter sent by the monarch was written on official Buckingham Palace letterhead and revealed that both the King and Queen had watched the two feature Randwick Group 1 races, the TAB Everest and King Charles III Stakes, on television as they recovered from their long flight from London.

“I just wanted to write and say how pleased I was to see what a tremendous success the racing that took place at Royal Randwick and Caulfield was last Saturday,’’ the King wrote in the personal letter.

“It was very sad that we were unable to attend but, having watched the two main races on the television, I could see that the very best horses were on show, which clearly produced an enormous turn out as well as excellent broad television coverage.

“It was wonderful to see the best Australian sprinters, which we so enjoy seeing when they come over to Royal Ascot, out in force in the innovative TAB Everest.

“And I was delighted to observe that the King Charles III Stakes was so well supported with such a field of top milers.

“I would be most grateful if you could very kindly pass on my warmest congratulations to all the winning connections on what seemed to be a magnificent day’s racing.’’

The letter was signed: “Yours most sincerely, Charles R.”

Thousands turned up to greet the King at the Opera House on Tuesday. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The King and Queen have received a mostly warm welcome during their five-day visit Down Under, with large crowds turning up to catch a glimpse of them during their public engagements in Canberra and Sydney.

However, a furious outburst by Independent senator Lidia Thorpe during a welcome engagement at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday, during which she shouted “You are not my King” and “f**k the colony”, has generated international headlines.

The following day, the King and Queen were guests of honour at a barbecue in Parramatta before being greeted by thousands at Sydney’s Opera House.

The King also made solo visits to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) and the Melanoma Institute, where he met up with the joint Australians of the Year, professors Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer, to discuss their cancer research.

The royal couple are set to fly out of Australia on Wednesday and head to Samoa, where they will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Originally published as ‘Very sad’: King’s personal note about rumoured Aussie appearance revealed