Queen Camilla Makes Unusual Late Summer Engagement to Support Racecourse Patronage

The Queen is stepping away from her end-of-summer-holiday for a Saturday at the York Racecourse

Queen Camilla is off to the races this weekend in a surprise end-of-summer engagement.

On Aug. 24, the Queen, 77, visited the Ebor Festival at York Racecourse in York, England to open the new Bustardthorpe Development complex. King Charles’ wife was announced as patron of the York Racecourse in May and made her first public appearance in the new royal role on the fourth and final day of the horse racing festival.

It’s somewhat unusual for a working royal like Queen Camilla to make a working engagement in late August, as Queen Elizabeth traditionally cleared that period on her calendar for summer respites at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The King, 75, also stepped away from his Balmoral holiday to undertake an important engagement, visiting Southport earlier this week, where three children were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in late July. He also privately spent time with their families at Clarence House, his London home, the following day.

At the York Racecourse, Queen Camilla was welcomed by the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner, and other officials from the race track, and cut a ribbon to officially open the new Bustardthorpe Development. The hub was envisaged to elevate the race day experience as a place for people to relax, eat and drink, and was designed with sustainability in mind, from rainwater harvest tanks to solar panels and a “living roof.”

The state-of-the-art complex is one of the latest ways that the York Racecourse is improving facilities for guests, participants and horses, aligning with its Green Knavesmire 300 environmental commitment to target NetZero by 2040. Prince Andrew previously served as patron of York Racecourse, which is the first independent racecourse to sign on for the UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action — Race to Zero.

After cutting the ribbon, Queen Camilla moved to tour more of the new site. Later in the day, Queen Camilla is due to present the trophy at the Ebor Handicap, the track’s most famous race. The handicap takes its name from Eboracum, the Roman city known today as York, and is the oldest race run at York Racecourse, dating back to 1843.

Like the late Queen Elizabeth, Queen Camilla and King Charles are known to socially attend horse races and inherited her portfolio of racehorses when she died. Queen Elizabeth was a passionate racehorse owner, breeder and spectator throughout her record reign, and her eldest son and his wife got to see a horse she bred named Treasure compete at the Epsom Derby Festival in May.

It was announced the same month that Queen Camilla had taken on the patronage of York Racecourse. The role had been left vacant since Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 amid backlash around his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, local paper The Press reported. The Duke of York, 64, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and Queen Elizabeth stripped her second son of his military titles and royal patronages in January 2022.