A horse bequeathed to the Queen by her late mother will run in the Gold Cup on Friday.

Seven year old ‘Barbers Shop’ was foaled the same year that the Queen Mother died. He’s a long shot at 16-1 but the Queen and a number of Royal household staff are thought to have placed bets on him.

The Queen Mother was a regular visitor at the Gold Cup but normally her daughter only attends Royal Ascot and the Derby due to her busy schedule. She is making an exception in this case and will be hoping that her purple, scarlet and black colours get to grace the winners enclosure.