Britain's Queen Elizabeth will make a last-minute helicopter dash to be at the Epsom Derby.
The monarch and her husband Prince Philip are due to spend three days in France for the 70th anniversary D-Day commemorations next month, and despite having a visit to the Elysee Palace scheduled for the morning of Saturday June 7, she is determined not to miss the most important race of the Flat calendar, so will travel home by helicopter immediately afterwards.
The craft will take her back to her Windsor castle home before she travels on to the racecourse in Surrey, South East England.
However, she will not return in time for the traditional royal car procession -which travels up the Epsom home straight - but is expected to arrive by early afternoon, in plenty of time for the big race at 4pm.
A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: "The fact she is taking so much effort to be at Epsom shows the queen's passion for the race."
Meanwhile, the monarch recently sold on a racehorse, Al Kazeem, after he was found to be "sub fertile".
Following negotiations, he has been returned to original breeder John Deer, her racing manager John Warren has revealed.
He commented: "The queen made the comment that, sadly, horses will always have the last word."
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