Zara Tindall gives Queen update as Her Majesty enjoys Platinum Jubilee in ‘her comfy clothes’
THE Queen is enjoying the Platinum Jubilee celebrations at home in her "comfy clothes", her granddaughter has said.
Her Majesty, 96, did not attend Saturday's Epsom Derby Day, opting instead to watch it on TV from Windsor Castle after experiencing mobility issues on Thursday.
While not at the major sporting event in person, the monarch was sent a souvenir race card to follow the action.
And she is doing so in laidback style, according to Zara Tindall.
Giving an update on the Queen's plans as the nation marks her momentous 70-year reign, the 41-year-old said on Saturday: "She'll just be sat on the sofa watching the TV. She'll be in her comfy clothes.
"She has a few runners today dotted around the country, so she knows exactly what's going on."
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Zara arrived at the sold-out racecourse in Surrey alongside her former-rugby-player husband Mike Tindall just before 1pm.
Dressed in blue, she walked with her mum Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and her brother Peter Phillips, as part of a procession.
Peter was pictured with his partner, who has been named as Lindsay Wallace, despite it being rare for the girlfriend of a member of the Royal Family to attend a high-profile event.
Crowds cheered and waved Union flags as they made their way in to the course, with Anne grinning from ear to ear.
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She appeared in the royal box while the national anthem was played by a live band.
Afterwards, the Princess Royal could be seen waving and laughing, while thanking those around her for a warm welcome.
Anne was later given a painting of Dunfermline, the Queen's winner of The Oaks race in 1977, as a gift to the monarch - whom she was standing in for.
Her Majesty skipped Friday's Service of Thanksgiving after experiencing "discomfort" during Trooping the Colour on Thursday, before later pulling out of Saturday's Epsom Derby.
Prince William and Kate Middleton were out in Wales yesterday on a visit to Cardiff Castle with son George and daughter Charlotte.
Younger brother Prince Louis - who stole the show when he appeared on the Buckingham Palace's balcony with his family and the Queen after Trooping the Colour on Thursday - missed out on the appearance.
Other royals were on visits elsewhere in the UK, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrated their daughter's first birthday behind closed doors at Windsor.
The Sussexes, who introduced Lilibet to the Queen for the first time this weekend, are understood to be marking the special day in private.
TUNED IN
The Jubilee festivities carried on in the Queen's absence, with 40 jockeys who have ridden for the owner-breeder donning the royal racing silks and forming a guard of honour before the national anthem was sung.
Five of the monarch's former racehorses were also paraded, and a selection of hats inspired by the seven decades of her reign were put on display.
Zara said: "Obviously, we'd love [the Queen] to be here, but it's nice to be here.
"I've never been to Epsom before. It's exciting. I need to go and explore."
Mike added: "The Queen is such a wonderful woman and I have said this numerous times, but in terms of how you want a leader to be, she is that person and someone who sets an example.
"It's such a shame that she's not here with us but I know she'll be tuned in and watching from home."
It's such a shame that she's not here with us but I know she'll be tuned in and watching from home.
Mike Tindall
Frankie Dettori and Willie Carson, who has ridden some of the Queen's most memorable winners, lined part of the course with the other jockeys.
Describing the pride he has felt while riding for the Queen in her racing colours, Dettori told BBC News yesterday: "Every time you see these [colours] on your peg you [have] this sense of importance and it's a great honour.
"Look, she's a big lover of horse racing, and like you say she's only missed the Derby twice.
"But I'm sure today she'll find a TV and she's going to watch it live because she loves the Derby so much.
"She's been breeding horses for over 60 years she knows all the blood lines and she's won lots of races and she's very knowledgeable."
Carson added: "[The Queen] is the patron of racing and she has been a great advantage to horse racing.
"Her racing is her passion and everybody who takes an interest in the royal family will understand that her hobby is her horses."
Among the famous faces in attendance were Downton Abbey star Jim Carter and his actress wife Imelda Staunton, comedian Lee Mack and tennis coach Judy Murray.
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Staunton, who plays the monarch in The Crown's upcoming series, said: "I'm very honoured to be in a place that the Queen obviously loves greatly - her big passion is horses.
"This is her passion, so it's very nice to be here, somewhere that she really loves."
