The Queen has suffered another loss after the death of her former manager of the Royal Studs, Sir Michael Oswald, who has died at the age of 86.

Sir Michael advised Her Majesty, 94, as well as the Queen Mother, and presided over their racing interests for almost 30 years.

He died after a long illness on April 17, the same day as the Duke of Edinburgh‘s funeral in Windsor, according to The Times. 

Over the years, Sir Michael was often pictured by the Queen’s side at various races and when the Duchess of Cambridge made her long-awaited debut at Royal Ascot in 2016, she was also photographed enjoying a chat with the expert.

Speaking to the Racing Post, Sir Michael’s widow, Lady Angela – for many years a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother – paid tribute to her husband.

She said: ‘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.’

Before taking up the post as the Queen’s racing advisor in 2003, Sir Michael worked for the Queen Mother from 1970 until her death in 2002.

In the 2020 New Year Honours list, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO).

Showing the Queen’s great sense of humour and their close friendship, Sir Michael would often tell the story of a horse his employer had in training called Harvest Song.