King Charles and Queen Camilla were in surprise to face an unexpected situation at Epsom racecourse on Saturday.
A brawl erupted as the royal couple attended the event. The officials officials strongly denounced the incident.
“Our security teams and police on site responded quickly to an incident,” A spokesman for the racecourse said.
“This matter is now being dealt with by Surrey Police so it would not be appropriate to comment further, other than to say that this sort of behaviour has no place at our racecourse,” they added.
Some 28,500 racegoers attended the event to represent the largest turnout for the premier Classic in four years.
However, the incident marred what should have been a celebratory occasion at one of British racing’s most prestigious fixtures.
The crowd remained in highspirits while witnessing Christmas Day storm to victory in the feature race, with the triumph coming amid challenging weather conditions on the Surrey Downs.
King Charles and Queen Camilla travelled directly from the Cotswolds wedding of Peter Phillips, the Princess Royal’s son, to attend the event.
Cheering crowds greeted the royals soon after they stepped in the Surrey venue, with both looking gorgeous in coordinating pastel yellow attire.
The King donned a morning suit with matching waistcoat and top hat, while wearing a Royal Artillery tie pin as a tribute to Lance Bombardier Ciara Sullivan, who died following a fall at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May.
Following Christmas Day’s triumph, the King and Queen presented the Derby Trophy to victorious trainer Aidan O’Brien, jockey Ronan Whelan and owners Coolmore.
Several distinguished guests were alos present at the royal box alongside the monarchs, including Dame Mary Berry, the Queen’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, entrepreneur Charlotte Tilbury and broadcaster Clare Balding.
Dame Mary described the occasion as “wonderful,” noting: “It’s the classic, the Derby. It’s the oldest race, and it’s the one that everybody wants to follow.”
Saturday marked the 247th running of the Epsom Derby, the original race from which countless other sporting events take their name.
2026-06-09 13:53:00
