Why did King Charles become emotional at Royal Ascot?

The King was left emotional by the poignancy of following in his late mother’s footsteps to see a win in the first Royal Ascot of his reign, an expert said today.

Charles and Queen Camilla jumped to their feet in jubilation yesterday as Desert Hero galloped over the line in a nail-biting finish to the King George V Stakes.

The King appeared to wipe away a tear as he watched his first win as monarch – and the first without his mother, Elizabeth II. He appeared to find it difficult to contain his emotions as he collected the trophy, knocking it over as Camilla looked on.

Charles and Camilla are the first ruling monarchs to co-own horses racing at Royal Ascot in more than 300 years, since Queen Anne founded the racecourse in 1711. 

And bookmaker Paddy Power estimated that, industrywide, backers of Desert Hero collected more than £1million in winnings after the horse was priced at 18/1. 

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the win was a ‘deeply emotional experience’ for Charles because it was ‘an event which his mother loved so much’.

He told MailOnline that the win would have ‘brought back so many memories’ for Charles and Camilla – and the King’s face ‘said it all’ after the ‘surprise victory’.

Mr Fitzwilliams added that Royal Ascot was said to have been the first date filled in Elizabeth II’s diary every year – and her joy at winning was ‘unforgettable’.

He added that cheers greeting the royal procession this week ‘must have been most heartening’ – and it is ‘pivotal that King Charles keeps this link with the turf and, together with other members of the Royal Family, continues to support Royal Ascot’.

Mr Fitzwilliams also pointed out that in the Grandstand at Royal Ascot there is a special photographic tribute to Elizabeth II which Charles and Camilla, in their joint message in the official programme, feel sure will ‘prompt many happy memories’.

Meanwhile veteran horse racing journalist and former jockey Brough Scott has spoken of the importance of the horse being owned by both Charles and Camilla. 

Mr Scott wrote in The Times today: ‘The owners were here. The plural is important.

‘For while ruling monarchs have had racehorses for four centuries now, never before has the ownership been clearly stated as ‘HM The King & HM The Queen’ and as their majesties came into the unsaddling enclosure it showed.

‘This is clearly a hobby they can share and in which other members of the family get pleasure too. 

‘Here was the Princess Royal walking up with her expert horsewoman touch and here her daughter (Zara Tindall) throwing protocol aside in celebratory embraces.’

In the King George V Stakes yesterday, a wide-open sprint followed by a nail-biting photo finish saw Desert Hero win the race – and £51,540 prize money – in dramatic style.

The King and Queen were seen leaping up as the three-year-old colt staged a surprise win, having started the race at 18/1.

Charles was later seen accepting congratulations and handshakes from his guests in the Royal Box, before he and Camilla waved gleefully down at their winning jockey Tom Marquand.

Charles’s good fortune echoes that of  Elizabeth II, whose first Royal Ascot winner also came in her Coronation year of 1953.

The late Queen saw 24 Ascot wins during her time as monarch.

Zara Tindall told ITV: ‘It’s bittersweet to think how proud and excited the Queen would have been. To have a winner for Charles and Camilla and to keep that dream alive. And besides all that, what a race!’

She added: ‘I just think how excited my grandmother would have been. To have a winner for Charles and Camilla and to keep that dream alive was incredible, and what a race – asides all of that, what a race.

‘I was stood with Sheikh Fahad (owner of the runner-up) and the horses were either side, pulling their way up to the line, and it was incredible.

‘I think it is a new excitement (for the King), like all those owners here who come here with horses, they have dreams and hope, and to follow it is incredible.

‘Horses are the main game here – that’s why we get involved, we love them, the competition, the feelings are indescribable.’

The King and Queen later appeared on the podium to present the Ascot Gold Cup to retiring legend Frankie Dettori.

Speaking after the race, Marquand said: ‘That will be hard to top. I grew up watching Ryan (Moore) on Estimate (winner of the Gold Cup for the late Queen in 2013). Royal winners at the Royal meeting are extremely special, especially this one.

‘I think it’s a poignant one and to be a part of that, for (trainer) William and Maureen (Haggas) and the whole Somerville Lodge team to bring a horse to the Royal meeting and have that perfect prep – it’s an insanely special day. It will live high in my career, probably at the top for the rest of my days in the saddle at least.

‘Coming into the paddock wearing royal colours, whether you think you’ve got a chance or not, is special in itself. Explaining your tactics obviously holds a bit more pressure because you’re expected to stick to them – there’s no blagging your way out of it when His Majesty and Her Majesty are here.

‘It’s fantastic, Royal Ascot is where everyone wants to be and to wear these colours, it’s quite an emotional winner.’

He added: ‘I tracked Ryan round on the horse (Bertinelli) that I thought was the one to beat, he’s a big galloper and he took a lot longer to get going than I thought he would and I was sort caught on the back of him needing an out, or an in, and couldn’t get either for a long way.

‘He was extremely brave to take the split that I asked him for, most horses would have probably told me where to stick it! He had a heart of a lion to battle after squeezing through such tight gaps. What a moment.

‘You can see from William and Maureen how much it means to them, we all feel privileged to have anything to do with royal horses and we want to do the job. Doing the job is winning and we’ve done it. It’s a hard game breeding horses and racing horses and to have the Queen’s legacy carried on is immensely special. Everybody appreciates the magnitude of what’s just happened and it’s a special day for everyone.

‘It will be (one of the highlights of my career) and it will be forever, even if I’m fortunate enough to have more success at the Royal meeting in the royal colours, I think there’ll be few that hit quite the same as that.’

Trainer William Haggas said: ‘The King and Queen are absolutely thrilled. They have been looking forward to Ascot for a long time and wanting to have as many runners as possible, and I think they are absolutely delighted.

‘It is obviously very important for racing, but it is important that the King and Queen enjoy it, which they clearly appear to do, and long may that continue.’

Crowds had cheered the King and Queen as they rode up in carriages for their traditional entrance to the course. Charles, wearing a traditional charcoal morning suit and pink tie, waved his hat with enthusiasm.

Camilla was sophisticated in a pale green coat dress by Anna Valentine, pairing it with a matching hat, complete with a feathered trim, by her go-to designer Phillip Treacy.

She also wore a diamond brooch belonging to the late Queen, a five-strand pearl necklace, a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet and a pair of pristine white gloves.

Anne – dressed in a chic green lace gown and white hat – and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence followed in the second carriage.

Also in attendance was Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family who is also a horse owner and David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, the son of the late Princess Margaret.

His sister, Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband Daniel Chatto joined the procession too, alongside Lord Nicholas Soames, former Conservative MP and grandson of Winston Churchill.

Camilla’s friends, Colin Chisholm and Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen, as well as trainer John Gosden and wife Rachel, Royal bloodstock adviser John Warren and wife Lady Carolyn Warren, joined the procession.

Sabrina Elba, actress wife of superstar Idris, led the glamour in a Kate Middleton-inspired white Self Portrait dress suit and beret.

Other celebrities at the event included TV stars Charlotte Hawkins and Louise Roe.

Meanwhile, Zara and Mike Tindall skipped the royal procession and headed straight to the races on foot.

Zara stunned in a French lace short sleeve dress from Scanlan Theodore, which she paired with a fascinator with pretty flower detail.

Camilla’s Philip Treacy-designed feathered hat was bang on trend, with many other stylish racegoers opting for fluffy plumage to bring a touch of class to their headgear.

The avian influence spread far and wide among racegoers on the busiest day of the five-day Berkshire meeting so far, with birds from peacock to ostrich lending their plumage to the show.

Another trend among women guests was the trouser suit, with one racegoer opting for a stylish spin on the traditional men’s morning jacket.

There is one royal runner today, the 40-1 shot Candle Of Hope in the Sandringham Stakes at 5pm.