Clare Balding has recalled a breakfast blunder she experienced with the Queen - as she opened up about her family's royal connection.
The sports presenter's family have worked with the late monarch on various occasions, with her grandfather, Peter Hastings-Bass, and her uncle, the 17th Earl of Huntingdon, working as trainers of the Queen's horses. It led to the family regularly enjoying breakfast together with the monarch, and Clare has recalled how she had an issue with a sausage during one visit.
However, Clare admits she feels much better about it now she has heard former Prime Minister Theresa May's story about her dropping some cheese during a garden party with the Queen. Clare recounted her own food blunder during an appearance on ITV's This Morning today, as they remembered her close connection with the monarch.
Speaking on This Morning today, she said: "I feel so much better because of Theresa May's story about the cheese, because it was just like that. I was 14 or 15, and I was going through a stage of eating sausages on toast with marmalade."
"In front of the Queen?" host Phil remarked, as Holly then added: "Well, we know she loves a marmalade sandwich."
Clare then went on to share her story - and how she was grateful the Queen had a sense of humour.
"I was trying to cut my sausage long ways and it's very slippery when you hold it like that. And it could shoot and it did. It shot out towards the Queen. She raised an eyebrow," she added.
"But as we've been discussing, and as you know by now, when things go wrong that brought her amusement because everyone's trying so hard to make it all go right, you're so much likely to make a mistake. As a monarch, it helps that she has a sense of humour."
Clare previously shared how her family had a close personal relationship with the Queen.
"My dad trained for The Queen so growing up, she would come and see the horses… about once a year and sometimes he’d forget to tell us that The Queen was coming so you’d have that situation where you came back to the house, The Queen was there for breakfast, that was really odd," she recalled back in 2017 of her family's connection.
"She loved coming to the stables because it was the one place that didn't smell of fresh paint, it smelt of horses, life carries on."
