The King and Queen made a 100-mile dash by helicopter from their nephew’s wedding in the Cotswolds to get to the Epsom Derby in Surrey where they were due to present the trophy to the winner on Saturday afternoon.
Charles and Camilla were cheered as they arrived at All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire, to see Peter Phillips, 48, the Princess Royal’s son, and NHS nurse Harriet Sperling tie the knot.
They were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the groom’s sister and brother-in-law Zara and Mike Tindall with their daughters Mia and Lena, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh with their son James, Earl of Wessex.
Also in the congregation were the groom’s cousins, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, accompanied by their husbands Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not in attendance.
open image in galleryHowever, Charles and Camilla had to make a dash following the service, travelling by helicopter to Epsom for the derby, one of the biggest days in the horseracing calendar.
The Telegraph reports that they arrived at All Saints Church in Kemble by car at 12.48pm for the 1pm wedding, before leaving at 2pm.
A helicopter had been heard landing nearby around five minutes earlier, which the King and Queen were then driven to.
A palace source told The Telegraph: “Their Majesties were eager to show support for one of the racing industry’s most important days, which as it turned out unfortunately fell on the same day as a family occasion they were equally keen to be a part of.
“Thankfully, a workaround was evolved that meant it was just about possible to attend both, and I know they were very much looking forward to each element of a very special but very busy day; one that featured a bit of a race of their own.”
open image in galleryChristmas Day won the race on Saturday afternoon, galloping on strongly to win by two and three-quarter lengths, with Maltese Cross best of the home team in second and James J Braddock third.
Back in the Cotswolds, the reception and wedding were organised by event planners Peregrine Armstrong Jones and Caroline Armstrong-Jones of Bentleys Entertainments, assisted by Flora Williams-Ellis.
They have organised other events and parties for the royal family, including the 40th, 50th and 60th birthday celebrations for Anne, as well as Mr Phillips’ 21st birthday at Windsor Castle in 1998.
Bentleys Entertainments has also worked on several of Zara Tindall’s birthdays, as well as her wedding to Mike Tindall at Holyrood Palace in Scotland in 2011, and the wedding of David and Victoria Beckham in 1999.
Floral archways and displays at the church were installed by Millie Richardson, with villagers invited to help themselves to the pieces after the regular service on Sunday.
Mr Phillips lives on the Gatcombe Park estate, in nearby Minchinhampton.
open image in galleryThe 48-year-old, the son of Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips, is the King’s nephew, William and Harry’s first cousin, and the brother of Zara.
Mr Phillips split from his first wife Autumn in 2020 after 12 years of marriage and shares custody of their two children.
They married in a grand royal wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in 2008.
Mr Phillips’s engagement to Ms Sperling, who he began dating in 2024, was announced in August last year.
The couple were guests of Charles and Camilla at Royal Ascot in June and were invited to take part in the traditional carriage procession the royal family makes on to the famous Berkshire racecourse to signal the start of the day.