Dave Mollett’s monthly column today was his entry for the L’Ormarins Writers contest. He imagines himself to be King Charles III writing a letter to Gaynor Rupert.

 

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This correspondence comes from the office of:

KING CHARLES 111

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It was dictated by His Majesty to his secretary on January 10 2023.

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Dear Mrs Rupert,

 

I am sending you this email on two counts – firstly to thank you for the invitation to present the trophy at last Saturday’s L’Ormarins King’s Plate and secondly to congratulate you on a successful racemeeting.

 

Our British High Commissioner in South Africa, Antony Phillipson, was in touch yesterday and – while he’s a rugby man – really enjoyed his visit to the races.

 

You will understand the reason a trip to South Africa wasn’t possible – we have had the whole family at Balmoral and then there has been the distraction of Harry’s book which hasn’t been well received with members of the family.

 

Then, we are also making preparations for my coronation on May 6.

 

My dear mother would have been up in arms about the date as the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket was scheduled for the same day. They will have to move the race to another date.

 

I have been asked what it has been like being the longest-serving heir apparent and – at 73 – the oldest person to accede to the British throne.

 

My answer is simple: it has been an absolute pleasure to serve under my mother – a Queen who will be long remembered for her resilience, compassion and duty to her people.

 

Antony has informed us that your day would have been more memorable if your horse Charles Dickens (good name!) had won the main race.

 

I understand the disappointment as I saw it on my mother’s face more times than I care to remember after she’d seen one of her horses defeated.

 

As you will know, my mother, bless her soul, was racing mad and actually had her first winner in 1949 when she was only 23. She insisted on using the colours of her father and great-grandfather.

 

I remember on one occasion I came into the room at Windsor Palace where she watched the racing and said: “Mummy, I need to speak to you urgently about Diana.”

 

She turned to me and said: “Not now, Charles. I’ve got a runner in the 3.30 at Kempton.”

 

My mother’s biggest racing success came with her horse, Emulate, in the 2013 Ascot Gold Cup. I travelled up the course with her in the carriage that day and remember her saying – in between a wave to the crowd – “I checked the Racing Post before we left and I can’t believe the majority of tipsters don’t give my horse a chance.”

 

To his credit, Antony Phillipson did some research ahead of his trip to Kenilworth and – in one article – you are quoted as saying “I love every aspect from breeding to racing – the Queen’s Plate (now King’s) is a race with great history and the fact that it’s a WFA race when the very best horse wins appealed to me as a sponsor. I believe everyone wants to see excellence.”

 

“The intimacy of the day makes it special and everyone can enjoy it without being crowded and standing in long queues.”

 

Antony says you make no secret that your high profile husband, Johann Rupert, much prefers golf to racing. However, he points out both you and Mr Rupert appreciate that the industry is a “high employer” of people.

 

Your statement that “we need to find ways to employ more people in South Africa so the growth of our industry is paramount” is right on the mark given the alarming high unemployment rate in the country.

 

I am told you have close ties with Goodwood racecourse and their famous meeting held on the rolling Sussex Downs at the end of July. To be honest, I preferred going there with my mother rather than the drawn-out pomp of Royal Ascot.

 

I know they have a pretty strict dress code at Goodwood and – according to Antony – the theme of blue and white colours at the King’s Plate meeting is something racegoers have embraced in recent years.

After the coronation, my office will be making plans for me and the Queen Consort to visit many countries around the globe.

 

I hope these will include South Africa and perhaps I will have the pleasure of meeting you. In the meantime all the best to you and your family – and your racehorse “Charles” – for 2023.

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

KING CHARLES 111