Queen Elizabeth's trusted Ascot representative Sir Johnny Weatherby passes away

It’s a solemn day on the Turf as the racing world mourns the loss of Sir Johnny Weatherby, the legendary figure who served as Queen Elizabeth II’s trusted representative at Royal Ascot and helped shape British horseracing for decades. 

He has died aged 66, leaving a huge gap in the heart and saddling area of the sport. 

At Ascot today, jockeys wore black armbands in tribute to “an immense presence in the sport,” while friends, family and racing fans paid tribute to a man whose legacy is woven into both the ceremonial pageantry and the day to day heartbeat of British racing. 

Sir Johnny, knighted in 2020 for his impeccable service was a familiar sight in the Royal Enclosure, known for his calm authority and encyclopaedic knowledge of racing tradition. 

He held the prestigious role of Queen's Representative at Ascot from 2011 until 2020 that saw him quietly coordinating some of the most iconic moments of the British social and sporting calendar.

A seventh‑generation scion of the Weatherby dynasty, a family whose involvement in racing administration stretches more than 250 years and Johnny was much more than a ceremonial figurehead.

He joined the family firm Weatherbys in 1979, rising to become its chairman in 1993 and leading the organisation through a period of modernisation.

Colleagues and racing insiders painted a picture of a man whose energy and foresight were matched only by his deep love for the sport.