'WHAT A WINNER! IT'S REALLY KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE'

AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR KING CHARLES AND QUEEN CAMILLA AS THEIR HORSE RIDES TO VICTORY AT ROYAL ASCOT

- REBECCA RUSSELL

One of the most glamorous and highly-anticipated weeks in the royal calendar is over for another year – and it saw an emotional triumph for King Charles and Queen Camilla. The new monarch and his wife shed a tear as they secured their first Royal Ascot win and saw their horse Desert Hero race home to victory in the King George V stakes.

The heartwarming moment on Ladies Day was sealed when the Duke of Kent presented the King and Queen with their trophy. Slightly overcome with the excitement, King Charles briefly knocked over the silver cup on the podium, but order was quickly restored and he joked with his jockey, Tom Marquand.

The thrill of the win was shared by the King’s niece, Zara Tindall, who said, “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!”

The late Queen Elizabeth II was an avid racing fan and during a long career in horse breeding she saw 566 wins and had runners in nearly 3,500 races – equating to £8.7 million in prize money.