Queen Elizabeth has stolen the show at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony with a solo cover of Daryl Braithwaite’s timeless hit ‘Horses’.
The 91 year-old monarch wasn’t even expected to attend the Ceremony, so spectators could barely contain their excitement when she walked unaccompanied to the centre of Carrara Stadium, cleared her throat, and launched into the opening lines of the iconic song.
The rendition went for 17 minutes in total, and was entirely acapella.
Games organiser Mark Peters praised the performance.
“She’s still got it in her, old Lizzy,” Peters said, immediately after the Ceremony.
“When Buckingham Palace contacted me a few months ago and said the Queen was keen to give ‘Horses’ a crack in front of 35,000 spectators, I was a bit apprehensive.
“But her performance tonight was truly unforgettable. I should never have doubted her.”
The Head of the Commonwealth repeated the song four times, slightly varying the structure on each occasion, leading some to speculate that she was inspired by Australia’s own Tash Sultana.
Sultana could not be reached for comment, but a royal spokesperson reports that the Queen believes it was ‘one of her better gigs’.