Camilla cancels visit to Newmarket after weather disrupts travel plans

The Queen Consort was said to be ‘very sorry’ not to be able to carry out the engagements on Thursday

The Queen Consort (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Wire)

The Queen Consort has pulled out of engagements in Newmarket after the weather disrupted her travel plans, Buckingham Palace said.

A spokesperson said: “Her Majesty’s engagements at Newmarket later today have had to be postponed due to the weather impacting on transport arrangements.

“Her Majesty is of course very sorry not to be able to attend and will hope to find another date to visit in due course.”

Camilla was due to visit the British Racing School to mark its 40th anniversary and later unveil a painting at the British Sporting Art Trust in the Suffolk market town on Thursday.

The decision to postpone was taken on Thursday morning when the weather was reviewed and attempts to find alternative arrangements were not successful.

Camilla was in London on Wednesday, hosting a reception to mark International Women’s Day as president of the Women of the World Festival.

The palace declined to confirm whether the Queen Consort was due to travel by helicopter or by car.

Snowstorms are due to affect large parts of England and Wales on Thursday after the coldest March temperature in more than a decade was recorded overnight.

The Met Office’s warnings are not currently affecting London or Suffolk.

Camilla has suffered recent family heartache after the death of her brother-in-law. Businessman Simon Elliot was married to her sister Annabel, to whom Camilla is very close.

The couple attended Camilla and King Charles III’s honeymoon to Birkhall in Scotland. Annabel and Simon had been married for more than 50 years and lived in a country house in Stourpaine, Dorset, where Charles and Camilla would meet them for weekends.

In February, the Queen Consort missed a number of engagements after catching Covid. She tested positive on 15 Febuary after suffering from cold symptoms, the palace confirmed at the time.

She has since recovered from the illness and made several public appearances, including the launch of her book project as a charity.