The Queen Mother Loved Male Company at Events: "The Bigger the Rogue, the Better"

With her trademark gin and Dubonnet in hand and a twinkle in her eye, the Queen Mother famously knew how to combine royal protocol with a bit of fun. Like her daughter Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mum also adored horses and racing—and according to famed horse trainer Nicky Henderson, the late royal enjoyed being in the company of the sport's most notorious figures.

"She hated it being too many women. You always had to have one spare man," Henderson shared with the Times. "The bigger the rogue, the better. We’d sing—she’d be singing along. She was great fun."

The equestrian legend—who trained the Queen Mother's horses—added that the royal "loved all the reprobates in racing, and really knew how to enjoy herself."

Speaking to the Times ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, an annual horse racing event which begins March 11, Henderson also shared some fond memories of Queen Elizabeth. The outlet noted that he "trained more than 60 winners" for the famed equestrian Queen, who still rode at the age of 96 up until a few months before she died. The trainer was so close to the late Queen that he "spoke to her on the phone most Sundays until her death in 2022."

“Some Sundays it would be short and sweet, and some you’d just get the feeling she’d nothing on and if she wasn’t being hounded by politicians or press, we’d talk for hours on the foals, the yearlings, pedigrees, the track," Henderson recalled. He added that the late Queen "loved it."

Reflecting on how her passion for horses helped the late Queen escape from royal obligations, he shared, "I think the horses, and talking about them, was quite relaxing. I think it can be quite a lonely life."

Henderson, like many in the racing business, also shared how knowledgable Queen Elizabeth was about horses. Sharing that the late Queen would "very much" speak up and disagree if she didn't like what he was doing, Henderson added, "But she knew what she was talking about. I’ve got people who tell me what to do and what not to do, but they haven’t got the first clue."

The trainer also opened up about working with King Charles and Queen Camilla. Unsurprisingly, he also trains two of their horses, sharing, "Their support is so important. Royal Ascot without them would not be the same."