Queen’s funeral: Australian horse trainer Chris Waller invited to the Queen’s funeral: Winx

Champion horse trainer Chris Waller has been revealed as one of a select number of Australians be invited to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

Mr Waller, who is best known for training the recording-breaking mare Winx, worked with many of the Queen’s own thoroughbreds and kept in regular contact with her Majesty leading up to her death on Thursday, aged 96

He is one of of 10 Australians, outside of dignitaries, to be invited to the service at London’s Westminster Abbey on Monday next week.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon have also been invited along with Australian of the year and wheelchair tennis legend Dylan Alcott.

Mr Waller kept in regular contact with her Majesty (pictured) leading up to her death last Thursday

Jockey Hugh Bowman rides Winx (trained by Chris Waller) to victory at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse on March 02, 2019

Mr Waller formed a close bond with the Queen due to their shared love for thoroughbred racehorses.

They even called each other every Saturday night after the weekend races to chat about horse racing in Australia. 

Mr Waller also gave updates about how the Queen’s own horses were faring.

The thoroughbred trainer became ‘slightly concerned’ when he was unable to speak the Queen on the Saturday night before last, according to The Daily Telegraph. 

Mr Waller and Dylan Alcott are two of only ten Aussies to be invited to her funeral, with the remaining eight yet to be identified. 

Mr Albanese, Jodie Haydon, Governor-General David Hurley and his wife, Linda, and Australia’s Acting High Commissioner to the UK, Lynette Wood, are among the dignitaries to be attending.

It’s understood that the Prime Minister told Mr Waller about his invite on Monday. 

Mr Waller and 2022 Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott (pictured with his partner Chantell Otten) are the first two Australians revealed to have been invited to the Queen’s funeral

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon (both pictured) are among the dignitaries attending the service

The revelation comes just days after Scott Morrison recalled the moment the Queen became excited ‘like a schoolgirl’ when he gifted her a signed biography of retired champion racehorse Winx. 

The former prime minister presented the Queen with the gift during a visit with his wife Jenny to Buckingham Palace in June 2019.

Mr Morrison had been granted an audience after leading the Coalition government to victory at the federal election. 

He admitted he was nervous and had no idea what gift he should present to the Queen so he turned to former Liberal prime minister John Howard for advice.

‘And he said, ‘mate she loves horses, she loves her horses’, and so you know, we came up with the idea of the Winx biography,’ he told Sky News on Friday.

‘And so we brought it along and I had it in the little bag there as we met, we were bowing and holding this bag.

‘We mentioned it to her and she was pretty keen to sort of pull it out. She pulls it out, like a schoolgirl, she’s flicking through and looking at the photos.’

Winx is an Australian thoroughbred racehorse that won 33 consecutive races between May 2015 and her retirement in April 2019.

Horses were among the passions of the Queen with many close to her believing she was never happier than when she was on a racecourse watching her mares. 

The former prime minister presented Queen Elizabeth II with the signed biography of Winx during a visit with his wife Jenny to Buckingham Palace in June 2019 (pictured)

In 2013, her filly Estimate won the Ascot Gold Cup, with jockey Ryan Moore on board.

Queen Elizabeth II loved seeing them race and loved making breeding plans for her horses at the Royal Studs. 

There were hand-written letters each autumn to her trainers detailing the yearlings they were being sent.

She also loved the trips in the spring to see them and their trainers as well as the hours just chatting with the people who looked after her horses.

Horses were among the passions of the Queen with many close to her believing she was never happier than when she was on a racecourse watching her mares (pictured, Queen Elizabeth II chatting with jockeys at Randwick racecourse in 1970)

Mr Morrison said she ‘really lit up’ when he spoke to her about her love for horses.

Mr Howard said her passion and knowledge of the animal was evident when he met the Queen during a trip to Windsor Castle as prime minister in 1997.

‘I mentioned something about Winx and, of course, her eyes lit up,’ he told ABC.

‘I’d really struck a great chord. I think she had more knowledge of Winx than I did. 

‘I mean, I knew a little bit about Winx, but I didn’t pretend that I’d had a Bob Hawke-like knowledge of it.’

Mr Morrison said Australians should spare ‘a thought and a prayer’ for King Charles as he steps up to lead the British monarchy after the loss of his mother. 

Under royal protocol Charles immediately went from being Prince of Wales to King Charles III, head of the British royal family, when his mother’s 70-year reign suddenly ended.

Mr Morrison said Australians should spare ‘a thought and a prayer’ for King Charles as he steps up to lead the British monarchy after the loss of his mother (Pictured, Charles kisses his mother’s hand during her Jubilee Celebrations) 

‘Spare a thought for King Charles III, when we heard him speak at the jubilee celebrations, I think he referred to [the Queen] as mummy,’ Mr Morrison told Sky News.

‘That showed an affection in the relationship that was quite touching.

‘And I do really feel for King Charles at the moment. Here he is stepping into this great moment of history in his own life and in the world’s history but he’s dealing with the grieving process of his ”mummy”. And that must be very hard for him.

‘So I think as a country we should be sparing a thought and prayer for King Charles III and the whole family… this is a great loss to their family, an earthquaking loss, and we’re all with you.’