LONDON — It was a royal day at the races, as Queen Elizabeth II watched a horse with the courtly name of Camelot win the Epsom Derby on Saturday — the kickoff to a four-day celebration of the British monarch’s 60 years on the throne.
Diamond Jubilee festivities officially began Saturday with a 41-gun salute fired by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at Horse Guards Parade in central London.
The 86-year-old monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, visited Epsom racecourse south of the capital for the Derby, one of the year’s biggest horse-racing meetings. The queen waved to the 130,000-strong crowd as she was driven down the racecourse in a Bentley bearing the Royal Standard — the car’s sun roof kept shut under gray skies — before settling down to watch the races from the royal box.
The monarch is a racing fan and horse breeder who has attended the Derby for decades and reads the Racing Post each day over breakfast, although unlike many of her subjects she does not gamble.
The queen presented prizes to some of the race winners and spoke intently to jockeys and trainers.
The Associated Press
