King Charles has always had a knack for sharing pearls of wisdom, and when he recently met with Roya Nikkhah, a Royal Editor for The Sunday Times, he was no different. Ahead of her debut at the Macmillan Ride of Their Lives charity race at York racecourse, Charles offered some insider tips from his own days as an amateur jockey in the early ’80s.
Among the nuggets of advice, one stood out for its sheer intensity. Charles suggested a unique fitness tip: to cycle without a saddle to build the kind of leg strength necessary for riding with short stirrups. Roya admitted that just the thought of tackling such an exercise was “painful,” though she hasn’t given it a try—yet!
Riding at Lambourn, where Charles once honed his skills, Roya has described her training as the most challenging experience of her life. The charity race, in support of Macmillan Cancer Support—a cause the King holds dear as a patron—will see her race against ten other amateur jockeys.
In other royal news, there’s buzz about a potential reunion between King Charles and Prince Harry when Harry visits the UK for an Invictus Games event this summer. But any meetings hinge on specific conditions that may include a family gathering at Balmoral, the ideal spot for the King to spend time with his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet. Could a royal family reunion be on the cards? Only time will tell!