Queen's trusted employee and close friend faces job insecurity in King's plans for 'slimmed down' monarchy

King Charles III is looking at further slimming down the monarchy according to insiders

Queen's friend faces job insecurity as King plans for 'slimmed down' monarchy
(Image credit: Getty)

Queen Elizabeth II's former racing advisor and longtime confidant could be made redundant from his royal position after 21 years of service, according to palace insiders. 


Queen Elizabeth II's former racing advisor could lose his royal job as King Charles III unfolds his plans for a 'slimmed down' monarchy, according to inside sources. 

John Warren, who oversaw all of Her Majesty's horseracing and breeding exploits for the past 21 years, may no longer feature so prominently in the Royal Family following the ascension of her eldest son to the throne. 

A recent report in the Sun suggested the stud owner "has recently taken on a role" in Bahrainian royal circles and "might not be involved" in British royal racing "for much longer." 

Warren was famously close to the Queen during her reign, regularly communicating with her about her racehorses and attending numerous events in her honor. Shortly before the Platinum Jubilee celebrations took place in June, he was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in recognition of his personal service to the 96-year-old monarch. 

Warren was also one of the last people to see the Queen in person before her death, having traveled to Balmoral Castle the weekend before September 8 to strategize plans for her collection of beloved horses "going forward."  

Queen

John Warren with Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla, the Queen Consort and King Charles III at the Royal Ascot in 2013 

(Image credit: Getty)

He reflected on the special memory in an interview with PA Media afterward, revealing that Her Majesty was "able to talk about her horses and her love for her horses right to the very end." 

"She was in such a healthy state of mind and in tremendous form," the bloodsports expert added. "It's very important to know that she was absolutely, wonderfully switched on."

King Charles III is now the sole owner of all of the Queen's horses, automatically inheriting her 24 racehorses and 80 broodmares in light of her passing. It's understood, however, that His Majesty isn't particularly interested in upholding his late mother's passion for horseracing as he begins his reign as Britain's 62nd monarch. 

The Queen Consort will reportedly take on the responsibility instead, with her lifelong love of equestrianism likely to give the 75-year-old a major advantage over her royal husband. 

"Camilla has a real love of racing and she will be the person who speaks with the trainers each day in the way the Queen had," a senior racing source told the Times

The Queen Consort's rumored new role shouldn't take up too much of her time, however, with speculation already brewing that King Charles plans to reduce the number of horses at the Royal Mews in light of the UK's cost of living crisis. 

"I don’t think the King will want to keep 40-50 horses with ten trainers. He will want to slim down the operation," the source added. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.

Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.