King Charles III expressed being “shocked and saddened” upon learning about the tragic death of a British soldier during a horse show he was attending, as announced by Buckingham Palace.
The incident occurred during a performance by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Friday evening.
The soldier, whose identity has not been revealed, suffered a fall after exiting the arena post-display. Despite receiving immediate medical attention, the injuries proved fatal, and the soldier was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement from Thames Valley Police.
In light of the tragic event, it was confirmed that the horse show would proceed on Saturday as scheduled, though it would notably exclude any further performances by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.
King Charles III was present as the members of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, delivered a Royal salute in the Castle arena during the event. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images)
Charles attended the horse show, which is on the grounds of Windsor Castle, along with his younger brother Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, their daughter Lady Louise, who was working at the show, and the king’s sister Princess Anne.
Following the soldier’s death, the king met with members of the King’s Troop at the horse show after returning on Saturday.
King Charles III greets young riders during the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Saturday. (Aaron Chown/PA Images)
“While His Majesty and other members of the royal family were present at the arena at the time the incident took place, they were not made aware of the severity of the situation until later,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, according to the London Times.
The spokesperson added, “The King was greatly shocked and saddened to have learned subsequently of the troop member’s death and will be in touch with the family to share his personal condolences. The thoughts and most heartfelt sympathies of the whole royal family are with the victim’s loved ones and military colleagues at this time of grief.”
Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s after-hours request for comment.
King Charles III greets well-wishers during the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Windsor, Berkshire, on Saturday. (Aaron Chown/PA Images)
The annual horse show is the only time the private grounds of Windsor Castle are open to the public.
On Saturday morning, the police appealed to the public for any information about the “unexplained but non-suspicious death” of the soldier.
Participants take part in the Coaching Marathon as they walk up the Long Walk during the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Friday. (Andrew Matthews/PA Images)
“At this stage, we have not found any suspicious circumstances,” police said in a post on Facebook. “We are working with the British Army, Ministry of Defence, the Defence Accident Investigation Branch and Royal Windsor Horse Show organisers HPower to gather as much information as possible to understand how this happened.”
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