Organisers of an event hosted at King Charles’ estate have apologised after a flag linked to ‘slavery’ was flown there.
The Confederate flag was displayed during the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials, a three-day event at the monarch’s royal residence in Norfolk which has taken place annually since 1982.
The flag was commonly displayed in southern US states during the country’s Civil War, and is associated with the anti-abolitionist movement.
It is now considered a symbol of white supremacy.
The flag was on display on Saturday during a supper attended by Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who took part in the trials.
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Organisers took to Facebook to express how ‘truly sorry’ they were in the wake of the blunder.
‘We would like to sincerely apologise for the recent display of images featuring the Confederate flag,’ the post read.
‘We now understand the significance of this symbol and the hurt and offence it represents to many people.
‘We never intended to upset or cause harm, and our actions were in no way malicious or racially motivated.
‘However, we recognise that intent does not lessen the impact, and we take full responsibility for this mistake. We are truly sorry and are committed to ensuring this does not happen again.’
The Sandringham Festival of Carriage Driving has been a fixture of the equestrian calendar for more than 40 years.
It initially ran alongside a Country Fair, which now takes place in August, and is scheduled to take place the week after Royal Ascot each year.
The event attracts hundreds of participants every year, as well as spectators, which this year reportedly included Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on the Sunday.
It’s not the first time this week that controversy has surrounded the royal family.
Trans activists and allies rushed to comment on a social media post on Wednesday showing Queen Camilla met with JK Rowling.
Camilla and the famous children’s author met at Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse to discuss ‘the importance of ensuring that young people have access to books and the vital part reading plays in opening doors for future generations.’
The post gushed about the pair’s ‘shared passion for books and a deep commitment to children reading for pleasure.’
But commenters shared their ‘deep disappointment’ in the Queen for posing with Rowling, whose views on trans women in single-sex spaces have seen even Harry Potter cast members distance themselves from her.
India Willoughby, who has often clashed with the Potter author, wrote on X: ‘The Royal Family standing proudly with probably the biggest trans hate preacher in the world. Shows how out of touch the monarchy is. Tick-tock.’