Just over a week after the death of Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years, Queen Elizabeth has been hit with more bad news as her former racing advisor Sir Michael Oswald has passed away. He was 86 years-old.

Entertainment Tonight reported that Oswald died on Saturday, the same day as the funeral of Philip, who had died eight days before at the age of 99. Oswald is survived by his wife, Lady Angela, who had been a lady-in-waiting for the Queen Mother. He had spent 28 years serving as the manager of the Royal Studs, and he had been racing manager to the Queen Mother prior to her death in 2002.

The Queen has always been an avid equestrian who loves working with race horses.

“He always said he had the most wonderful job anybody could ever have had, and that for all his working life he was simply doing what he would have done had he been a rich man who didn’t have to work,” Lady Angela told Blood Horse Magazine of her late husband.

Fox News reports that Nicky Henderson, a renowned trainer of royal jumpers, said Oswald was “very close” to the Queen, who is turning 95 tomorrow.

“He was very close to the Queen and the Queen Mother and loved his role with their horses. He would go absolutely anywhere to watch them run, even in the last few years when he was in his eighties. He lived in Norfolk, but would happily drive all the way to Exeter,” Henderson said. “The Queen once said to me that we had to stop Michael from traveling all over the country. I did very respectfully point out she was the only one who could do that.”

This comes at an awful time for the Queen, as she is still reeling from the death of Philip, who passed away just two months short of his 100th birthday. The Queen had to sit alone at Philip’s funeral last Saturday due to COVID-19, and she was seen wiping away tears from her eyes at times. Please join us in saying a prayer for her during this difficult time.