'He worked well, ma'am' - how the Queen was preoccupied by her Derby horse even on Coronation day

King Charles will have plenty on his mind on Coronation day, no doubt, what with family turmoil, media glare and the small matter of being crowned head of state and supreme governor of the Church of England, but it's unlikely he'll be pondering questions of the same import as those that occupied the thoughts of his mother on her big day back in 1953. 

Hers were not mere issues of pageantry and ceremony, crowns and gowns; there was much to consider for a woman of tender years, but no business more pressing than news of Aureole.

Queen Elizabeth II had acceded to the throne at the age of 25 on February 6, 1952, on the death of her father, King George VI. She inherited not only his monarchical status but also a white-blazed, three-socked chestnut colt, bred and owned by George, as yet unraced but full of promise as a son of the 1933 Derby and St Leger winner Hyperion, who went on to be leading sire no fewer than six times.