King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II have profited almost £2 million from the sale of horses given by notable statesmen including Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum of Dubai, Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s al-Thani family, The Guardian has reported.
These were private presents, Buckingham Palace has claimed.
The late Queen had a history of accepting gifts of horses; during a state visit to West Germany in 1978, she was given two horses. Questions are being raised about guidelines for royal family for accepting gifts.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, is by far the queen’s most benevolent supplier of racing and breeding stock. At least 34 horses presented to the royals appear to have come from him.
Estimate, who handed the queen one of her most cherished victory on the track in the 2013 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, is said to have been among the five horses Prince Shah Karim al-Husseini, the Aga Khan, gifted to the royal family.
Elizabeth received a total of 41 horses that competed in races during the past 15 years, racing in royal colours, according to a Guardian study.
Over the past ten years, 29 of them were put up for auction in public and brought in a total of £1.93 million.
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