How the Queen was still gripped by racing and mating plans in her final days

Remarkably, it was just two months ago, a July day whose perfect yet poignant story can now be told for the first time.

The Queen was in residence at Windsor, where a few weeks earlier she had watched both the Derby and Royal Ascot on television. Mindful of the mobility issues that forced the sport's most revered individual to forgo the pleasure of attending those events in person, John Warren had arranged for her to receive some particularly special visitors.

Temporarily stabled in the royal mews were 15 of Her Majesty's latest crop of yearlings, superbly prepared by the teams at her studs. In normal times, the Queen would have relished travelling around those farms to inspect them. This time they had come to her. One or two had the sort of normal conformation issues well known to a breeder of such longstanding, yet among the babies waiting to parade were thoroughbreds rich in quality, by super stallions and out of precious mares like Estimate, Memory and Diploma. In pedigree and appearance, they were an exceptional bunch.

Warren, the Queen's racing and bloodstock adviser for 21 years, has vivid memories of that day. The first thing he recalls is watching his 96-year-old boss driving herself in a Jaguar from the castle to the mews. After drawing up in the yard, she got out on her own and then looked at Warren with eyes that sparkled.

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"Guess what!" she said to him, her face carrying an expression that will stay with him forever.

"What, Ma'am?" he replied, sensing the delight with which the Queen was about to impart her news.

"I'm not stiff," she said, causing Warren to inquire for what reason she might have been stiff.

"I rode yesterday!" declared the Queen, filled with pride that she had come down to the mews the previous day, ridden her horse in the indoor school and woken up the next morning without discomfort. It was a marvellous encounter that set the tone for what was to follow.

The Queen was shown each yearling, one by one. It had already become apparent to Warren that they were directly beneath the Heathrow flightpath, as a result of which Memory's daughter crouched down to inspect an aeroplane that suddenly appeared overhead. The Queen watched on, fascinated, enthralled and excited.

"To have such high-quality horses paraded in front of the Queen was a wow moment – it was a wonderfully warm feeling to see her so thrilled," says Warren, for whom this represented arguably the apogee of his employment with the sport's most famous owner-breeder. For years they had worked together to improve the quality of her broodmare band and the profile of the stallions the mares visited. Never before had the end results contained such justifiable hope of future glories.

"When horses aren't bred as well as these are, breeding often dictates the end result," says Warren. "In the past we've been excited about the physicality of the yearlings, but when they were by mid-range stallions you could kid yourself as to how high they might climb.

"I think the Queen was very proud to see the green shoots starting to properly come back. The record number of winners we had last year was tremendous and helped to invigorate the understanding that we're now a hair's breadth from getting some really lovely horses.

"The great tragedy for the Queen is I think she has bred her best crop of yearlings this year. History will prove me right or wrong, but I believe the current crop could go all the way. I really do think the Queen has a serious chance of leaving a very important legacy."

Hayley Turner approaches the Queen and John Warren following a royal success at Newbury in 2013Credit: Edward Whitaker

On that summer day nobody could have known the Queen would die just two months later, yet she must equally have been aware her time could end before the racing careers of those yearlings began.

"If it crossed her mind, she never let on," insists Warren, who is confident the thought did not enter the Queen's head. As someone who had known her across four decades – father-in-law, Lord Carnarvon, preceded him in his coveted role – it is more than reasonable to believe Warren is correct in his assessment.

Indeed, not only did he work for the Queen, the bloodstock industry stalwart and his wife Lady Carolyn Warren also had the regular honour of having the Queen stay as an overnight guest at their home Milford Lake House, just three fields from Highclere Castle. She sat on the sofa from which questions are being directed at Warren, who wears a black cardigan and tie as he speaks with fondness and respect about a lady mourned the world over.

"The Queen has been coming to this house for 60 years," explains Warren. "She was at ease here. When she was in this house and having dinner with people we had invited from across racing, one was talking to a horsewoman. When I saw her on television, she was the Queen."

On average, they spoke every other day, while Warren would always arrange for the trainer of a royal runner to ring the Queen at an appointed time before any race.

"Some of the things she had to deal with as sovereign were not that nice but with the horses there was always hope and positivity," says Warren. "I think that gave her a real lift. If it was a chore, she wouldn't have wanted to speak when I phoned, but I can't remember a single occasion across all the years when she didn't take one of those calls.

"Racing was a very important part of her daily life. It's also absolutely true that she read the Racing Post every morning, without fail. It was a ritual – and when I say she read it, I mean she really did read it. You would never see her studying a racecard at the races because she had already done her homework and banked any relevant information."

Throughout her 70-year reign, racing fans have enjoyed being able to see the Queen at close proximity. The final chance to do that came last October on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot, where she was presented with a memento to mark her induction into the sport's hall of fame. Sadly, she was this year unable to make her customary trips to the royal meeting, Newbury in April and the Derby, which was made part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Milford Lake House, home to John and Lady Carolyn Warren, and a place where the Queen regularly stayed

"The Queen was astutely aware of her capabilities," says Warren. "She did run it to the wire, but the day before the Derby she realised it was going to be a step too far. Talking to her that night, I said that Carolyn and I didn't have to go to Epsom and asked if she would like us to watch the racing with her. 'Would you?' she asked, to which I replied, of course we would.

"We went over to Windsor and all watched the racing together, with copies of the Racing Post laid out everywhere. She was totally absorbed in every minute of the occasion, which was so special. Seeing Stoutey win the Derby with Desert Crown was also a real pick-me-up for the Queen, who then spoke to him on the phone.

"After tea, and just as we were leaving, the Queen asked if we were going to watch that evening's Platinum Jubilee concert. After we said yes, the Queen said, 'I really think you should make sure you watch the beginning of the concert'. Carolyn and I got in the car and wondered aloud why the Queen was so keen we should see it from the start. When we saw the Paddington Bear sketch, we knew why. She was so proud of that."

As an avid racing participant, she was never prouder than when winning the 2013 Gold Cup with Estimate, as was gloriously evident in the now iconic television pictures that showed the Queen and Warren willing the filly home from the royal box and then celebrating with glee.

It was special for so many reasons, one of them being the generosity of the Aga Khan, who seven years earlier had decided that as an 80th birthday present to the Queen he would give her access to ten mares from ten different lines, with the Queen taking ownership of the first filly produced by each mare. Estimate was one such filly. One year after winning the Queen's Vase, she returned to Royal Ascot, trained to the minute by Sir Michael Stoute. Ridden exquisitely by Ryan Moore, she emerged triumphant after a pulsating battle up the home straight, in the process making the Queen the first reigning monarch to win the Gold Cup.

Estimate and Ryan Moore win the 2013 Gold Cup for the QueenCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I know it was the Queen's most joyous moment because of the welling up in her eyes," recalls Warren. "I knew her for nearly 40 years and it was the only time I saw her like that. There were wins that I had seen make her highly excited, but this was just a bit different.

"The Queen went flat out to the winner's enclosure. Everyone was desperate to congratulate her but all she wanted to do was get over to Estimate and put her hand on the filly's head. I thought that was such a touching, serene scene. She didn't want to bask in her own glory because she knew her horse had put her heart and soul into the race."

That evening, Stoute, his now late partner Coral Pritchard-Gordon, Moore and wife Michelle were invited to a special Windsor Castle dinner, where Warren gave a speech.

"Prince Philip was so proud of her, which was incredibly touching," says Warren. "I don't say this lightly, but it was a joyous day."

Also memorable was the Queen's historic 2011 state visit to Ireland.

"That was huge," says Warren. "She had always wanted to go to Ireland and she was particularly keen to visit Coolmore because she held John Magnier in such high regard. However, the issue on her visit was a concern that it might look like an indulgence if the Queen ended up doing the things that were dear to her. One has to remember she would never want to do the wrong thing.

"After visiting the Irish National Stud we did manage to accommodate a lunch break visit to the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud and then the next day we squeezed in a lunchtime visit to Coolmore. The Queen had to stop for lunch somewhere and her official programme was not interrupted. She was fascinated by what she saw. As others have said, that trip was a major turning point for many people in Ireland."

It also brought enormous pleasure to the Queen. For someone who had been obsessed with horses since childhood, it was a priceless opportunity.

"She absolutely adored horses," says Warren. "Whenever we went to see foals, all she wanted was to get closer and closer to them. I was worried towards the end that one of the horses might move a bit quickly and cause an accident but she just wanted to be close up with them.

"Horses had an amazing way of relaxing in her presence. I never saw a single one do anything silly around her. That was remarkable."

The Queen and John Warren watch as horses are led into the paddock on the final day of Royal Ascot 2021Credit: Antony Jones

He uses the same word about the Queen herself.

"I know she will be sorely missed by people all around the world who were so grateful to her for participating in our wonderful sport," he says. "She was revered by the major owners and breeders all around the world. I know that to be true and I cannot emphasise it enough.

"On a personal note, I'll miss my evening calls to her. They could last from five minutes to half an hour or 45 minutes. I'll also miss the one-on-one conversations with her, discussing the horses – and as she was a friend of this family, we were able to talk well beyond horses.

"Throughout her life she possessed an unwavering dedication to duty. She could never be distracted from that. She was also a wonderful listener, exceptionally kind and unbelievably thoughtful. We have been very blessed."

Now, however, her duty is done. Queen Elizabeth II has made her final journey from Westminster Abbey to a resting place alongside her beloved husband in the grounds of Windsor Castle, close to where only two months ago she rejoiced in seeing the yearlings who will soon seek to honour her memory. She was thinking then about the next chapters of her marathon racing story. In the concluding days of her life, the Queen continued to do the same.

Warren can testify to that. As usual, he had begun work on the mating plan for the Queen's stock straight after Royal Ascot. He took a draft of that plan to Balmoral, where they discussed stallion possibilities for mares whose progeny will not be on racecourses until 2026 at the earliest.

The Queen greets Estimate following her famous Gold Cup triumphCredit: Edward Whitaker

"She was completely looking to the future," says Warren, who was with the Queen on the Saturday, Sunday and then Monday morning prior to her death on Thursday, September 8.

"I was with her the whole weekend. Going to Balmoral to present the Queen with a draft of the mating plan has been my annual ritual. When I did that this year, in no way did I get the impression the Queen was thinking, 'What's the point?'. Indeed, in relation to one of the stallions I proposed, she said, 'We haven't had a lot of luck with him, have we?'. She was never assertive, because the word assertive was not in her make-up, but in that sort of situation I would always subtly finesse things."

Early in the hours of the Sunday morning, the outrageously talented Flightline stormed to an astonishing success at Del Mar. While with the Queen, Warren rang the colt's part-owner Bill Farish, the former US ambassador to the United Kingdom. He then switched his phone to its loudspeaker mode, so the Queen could hear Farish talk to her about his extraordinary thoroughbred.

"When I left on the Monday I wasn't even close to thinking it might be the final time I saw her," says Warren.

"Although the mating plan was at an early stage, it was a good opportunity for the Queen to talk about horses. We had such a wonderful weekend, chatting together in her room. We also watched a little bit of racing. She really just wanted to be surrounded by family and to talk about horses."

The day after Warren left Balmoral, and the same day the 96-year-old head of state invited Liz Truss to become her 15th prime minister, the Queen's colours were carried to victory one last time, by Love Affairs at Goodwood. Later that evening, she did as she always did after any runner and spoke with her closest racing lieutenant.

"Her death came as a complete shock," admits Warren. "I have so much respect for her. She did her duty until the bitter end."

Then, in a perfect summary, he brings our conversation to a close.

"My goodness," he says thoughtfully. "She went out on a high."

Click here for a detailed look at the Queen's achievements in racing

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