Family friend to the late Queen Elizabeth Harry Herbert reveals wholesome memories with the monarch

A family friend of the Queen has spoken about his memories of the monarch following her funeral yesterday. 

Harry Herbert, the son of the 7th Earl of Carnarvon and brother of the current Earl, spoke to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning, about his and the Queen’s shared love of horse racing.   

He revealed the Queen gave him permission to use one of her ‘reserved race horse names’ for his race horse. 

He explained how he wrote a letter to the monarch to ask if he could use the name ‘Heritage’ and the royal said ‘of course you can I hope he’s lucky for you’.

Harry’s father Henry Herbert, also known as Lord Porchester, was a personal friend of Queen Elizabeth for over 20 years and the monarch used to regularly visit their family home. 

Speaking about his time growing up around the Queen he said: ‘My dad was her best friend for many years and confidant and so myself my sister Carol and my brother Geordie, we grew up knowing the Queen from a young age.

‘We were surrounded by her, every part of her, her character, and she came to stay often at  Milford which was my family home.’

The CEO of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing and of The Royal Ascot Racing Club continued: ‘After my dad died  in 2001, my brother-in-law John took over the role of her racing manager and she also became a confidant. 

‘He was telling me the other day that he had spoken to Her Majesty every day for the past probably on average every other day for the past 21 years.’ 

Speaking about the horse Heritage which holds a special memory for Henry he said: ‘naming a race horse is really important and Heritage seemed a wonderful name. 

‘So I looked it up and the security at the races said that’s one of Her Majesty’s reserved names, so I gave my dad a call to see if he could work his magic and he said “absolutely not, you do your own dirty work”.’ 

After he wrote to the Queen himself she wrote back granting him permission to use the name.

He said: ‘She wrote back by return of post and said “of course you can use the name, and I hope he is very lucky for you.” 

He went onto to speak about a ‘strange coincidence’ two years later when Heritage was running at Ascot he won and the Queen toasted his victory with him at Buckingham Palace. 

Harry’s father met the Queen during their teenage years, and they shared a great love of the countryside and horses.

The 7th Earl, whom the Queen affectionately called Porchey, was not only her racing manager from 1969 until his death on September 11, 2001, but her confidant.

Because he died on the same day as the 9/11 atrocities, when Her Majesty made her emotional address to those who had lost loved ones in New York, many felt she also spoke of her dear friend Porchey when she said with heartfelt sadness: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’  

ITV’s Chef Clodagh McKenna married Harry in 2021 at Highclere Castle after they got engaged in 2020.