Who was Sir Michael Oswald? Queen loses close pal as racing advisor, 86, dies on day of Prince Philip funeral
Queen Elizabeth II suffered yet another personal loss following the death of Sir Michael Oswald, former manager of the Royal Studs, who died at the age of 86. Oswald was known to advise the 94-year-old monarch, as well as the Queen Mother, and presided over their racing interests for nearly three decades, the Daily Mail reported.
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According to The Times, Oswald succumbed to a longstanding illness on April 17, the same day the royal family said their final goodbyes to the Duke of Edinburgh at his funeral in Windsor. Oswald was often pictured by the Queen's side at various races over the years. He was also present when the Duchess of Cambridge made her debut at Royal Ascot in 2016, where she was photographed chatting with the equestrian expert.
Sir Michael's widow, Lady Angela, who served as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother for several years, paid tribute to her late husband. "He always said he had the most wonderful job anybody could ever have had and that for all his working life he was simply doing what he would have done had he been a rich man who didn't have to work," Angela told the Racing Post.
Oswald worked for the Queen Mother from 1970 until her demise in 2002 before accepting the role of the Queen's racing advisor in 2003. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 2020 New Year Honours list.
Oswald would often tell stories about the Queen's great sense of humor and their close friendship. One notable story was that of a horse she had in training called Harvest Song.
Oswald once recalled how he made his usual call to the Queen's page, Barry Mitford, at 10 am one day to tell him that the horse was running in the 2:30 at Fontwell and that the event was being televised in case they wanted to watch it or record footage for her.
"Barry got rather excited at this, asking will it win and should he have a flutter," Oswald recalled. "I told him under no circumstances should he waste any money on it: that I had more chance of winning the 100m at the Olympics."
But Harvest Song, which reportedly started the race as a 50-1 rank outsider, went on to win the race by five and a half lengths. Oswald later phoned the Queen to ask if she'd watched the race.
"Oh yes, and may I say that Barry is standing next to me," she replied. "If I was you, I would find some dark glasses and a good disguise next time to come anywhere near this place," she quipped.
Sir Michael was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in 1934, and attended Eton before King's College, Cambridge. In 1969, he was recruited as manager of the Royal Studs, which he would run for the next six years from Hampton Court.
He later moved to Sandringham estate in Norfolk and enjoyed a golden age for the Queen's racing in the 1970s. Her top performers included Highclere, winner of the One Thousand Guineas, and the French Oaks, according to the Daily Mail.
It's worth noting that Equestrian sports are one of the royal family's undying passions. In fact, the Queen had learned to ride a horse when she was just three. "There was never a better and more knowledgeable owner to answer to," Oswald once said of the Queen and her interest in the sport.
Having said that, Sir Michael Oswald's passing is the second tragedy to hit the Queen after the loss of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, on April 9, at age 99. The loyal Duke of Edinburgh was laid to rest on Saturday in a scaled-down funeral in Windsor, with just 30 mourners allowed to attend due to the ongoing health crisis.