King Charles keeps part of the late Queen’s vast collection of ornaments
King Charles has left his own mark on the royal residences after stockpiling some of the Queen’s vast collection of equestrian jewellery.
The 74-year-old king is determined to clear the rooms and corridors of both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace after his mother passed away in September.
Many ornaments, portraits and trophies that have since been placed in storage have now been placed in storage, royal sources report The Telegraph.
“As the King spends more time at Buckingham Palace and Windsor, a small number of decorative arts items are gradually being rearranged, as you might expect,” they said.
They insisted that a “highly significant number” chosen by the late Queen remain.
King Charles left his own mark on the royal residences when he entrusted part of the late Queen’s vast collection of equestrian ornaments (pictured in the background)
The Queen was extremely passionate about horses and filled her residences with horse memorabilia.
Photos taken in the late Queen’s private apartment in Windsor suggest it was filled with mementos to commemorate her great passion.
The sitting room, also known as the Oak Room, was used by the Queen for intimate audiences and photo shoots.
In lockdown, the Queen chose the Oak Room for her virtual engagements and was often photographed sitting on a straight wooden dining chair while on a video call.
One of the more recent photos, taken in February 2022, during an audience with the President of Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis, showed two horse figurines on her mantelpiece.
The first, on the left side of the image, shows a groom using a bridle to control a horse as it rears up on its hind legs.
The second has a more personal meaning. For it shows the then-Princess Elizabeth on horseback, circa. 1937.
One of the more recent photos, taken in February 2022, during an audience with the President of Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis, showed two horse figurines on her mantelpiece
The royal family, 74, was determined to clean up the rooms and corridors of both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace after his mother passed away in September 2022 (pictured with Estonian President Alar Karis at Windsor Castle)
It can be seen on the other side of the mantelpiece and pays homage to the Queen’s lifelong passion for horse riding.
While sources say there are equestrian paintings, statues and sculptures from all periods in virtually every royal residence, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, in both prominent public places and private areas.
Her passion for horses started at an early age when her grandfather, King George V, gave the Queen a Shetland pony named Peggy at the age of four.
By the age of six, she had fallen in love with horseback riding, became an accomplished rider in her teens, and continued to ride for fun all her life.
From her first appearance at the annual Trooping the Color until 1986, the monarch would attend the ceremony on horseback.
Even in the twilight of her life, the queen could go on riding her beloved steeds; pictured in 2015 riding on Windsor grounds
The Queen, who died aged 96 on September 8, sparked a huge love affair with equestrian sport in the UK, thanks to her own talents as a rider and breeder (the Queen riding her horse Burmese at Trooping the Color in 1969)
She first attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show as a horse-crazy teenager in 1943. Partnered with Princess Margaret, the 17-year-old showed off her equestrianism by winning the Pony & Dogcart class.
She got her first win as an owner when Choir Boy won the Royal Hunt Cup in 1953.
The Queen owned several Thoroughbreds for racing after initially inheriting King George’s breeding and racing stock following his death in February 1952.
In 1974, the monarch’s interest in horses was the subject of a documentary entitled The Queen’s Race Horses: a Private View, which she narrated herself.
She became the patron of many organizations focused on horses, including the British Horse Society, the Fell Pony Society and the Highland Pony Society.
Known worldwide as a racehorse owner and breeder of true expertise, Elizabeth celebrated her love for the animals by dedicating life-size statues to two of her horses in Windsor.
A lady-in-waiting taking the then Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister Princess Margaret on a visit to Pets Corner at London Zoo in 1937
The Royal Windsor Horse Show was a highlight of Her Majesty’s annual calendar. The Queen was pictured conversing with riders at the Windsor Horse Show in the 1970s
The late Queen beamed as she viewed her trophy after her horse Stardust III won at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May 2014
The Queen’s love of horse racing resulted in her induction into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame in the Special Contributor category.
She was given the honor for her unwavering and lifelong dedication to the sport over the past eight decades.
John Warren, who oversees all of the monarch’s racing and horse breeding establishments, said at the time the recognition would be the source of “much inner pride” for the Queen.
The late monarch became the first person to be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame in the Special Contributor category after being chosen by an independent panel of industry experts for her outstanding contribution.
A documentary about Her Majesty’s love for the animal The Queen: a Passion for Horses was released in 2013, as part of the 60th anniversary of the coronation.
One of the highlights of the Queen’s calendar was the Royal Windsor Horse Show, an event that celebrated her love for the animal and made even more special as it was held in the ‘back garden’ of Windsor Castle.
The Queen was one of the most successful horse racing owners in the history of the Royal Family.
At the time of her death, she had won 534 races from 3,205 runs over time as a racehorse owner and is thought to have earned £7.7 million from her hobby over the past 31 years.