Camilla entered at Royal Ascot

In Sport on Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Camilla Parker Bowles yesterday, and left, an Ascot horse

The Duchess of Cornwall has become a surprise last minute entry for the Gold Cup on Ladies day at Royal Ascot. Prince Charles has arranged for his wife to run in the famous race after a booking snafu saw her VIP ticket being sent to one of Princess Beatrice’s hats by mistake.

Due to a shortage of jockeys Lester Piggott is being brought out of retirement to ride the Duchess with surgeons working throughout Wednesday night to replace both his kneecaps, which were broken in an earlier disagreement in prison with a fellow inmate over tax due on exchanged cigarettes.

The Queen is said to be delighted at the news that her daughter-in-law will be running in the race and is reported to have bet Buckingham Palace on her winning, citing that she has always been good on heavy ground and hinted that she had arranged for Prince Philip to do a rain dance on the lawn at Windsor Castle to ensure the course would be as wet as possible.

Meanwhile, Prince Charles has travelled to the course early to converse with the grass and is said to be happy that it has promised him not to grow overnight and remain soft in the patches where his wife will be running.

Bookmakers were originally offering odds of evens on The Duchess winning the race but these have since drifted out after one of her competitors became a strong favourite following an anonymous bet of 3 pyramids and 30 pieces of silver from an Egyptian gentleman in the London area.