Queen Elizabeth II: Siena refuses invitation to host Palio horse race to celebrate monarch's 90th birthday

The world-famous Siena Palio horse race does not travel. Not for anyone. Not even for a Queen celebrating her 90th birthday.

The only instance when organisers staged the world-famous medieval horse race, in which brightly clothed riders tear bareback through the historic centre on Siena, was in 1938 when they were summoned to Florence by Mussolini to put on a show during a visit by Adolf Hitler.

It was little surprise then that the Tuscan city snubbed an invitation to help Queen Elizabeth celebrate her 90th birthday by recreating the Palio at Windsor Castle.

Upmarket event organiser HPower – owned by Simon Brooks-Ward, who is considered close to the royals – attempted to involve Siena in the horse-themed celebrations for the Queen’s landmark birthday, which falls on 21 April this year.

Authorities in the Tuscan city were not amused however, saying they would not permit a truncated, “circus-style” version at the mid-May celebrations, in which “over 900 horses and more than 1,500 participants from around the United Kingdom and the world will create a joyful event for the Queen”.

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Siena’s mayor, Bruno Valentini, said it was difficult to recreate the atmosphere of the Palio away from its celebrated setting, in the enclosed medieval town square. He said the 75-second slot Siena had been offered, with just three horses and two riders, would be like a “circus act”, adding, “we had to say no”.

“If you want to see the Palio, you have to come to Siena to really appreciate it... and participate in some way in the rituals, because the Palio is not just about one minute and fifteen seconds of the race, but also the history,” he said.

But he had another suggestion: “We invite Queen Elizabeth to come to Siena to see the Palio directly from the windows of our town hall.”

Jo Peck, a spokeswoman for HPower Events, confirmed that there had been discussions with authorities in Siena. She said there had not been plans to stage the entire event, but said it had been hoping recreate some of the Palio pageantry.

“We did have discussions about hosting the Palio race and flag throwers. But these arrangements didn’t come off,” she said.

Some reports suggested however, that it was the British who said no to the arrangements after Palio authorities made too many difficult demands.

One local, Susanna Guarino, said: “It was Queen Elizabeth who said no to the Palio, not the other way around.” She ridiculed the city’s authorities for the lost opportunity.

Palio races take place in medieval town centres across Italy in the summer. They start in Feltre in the north-east of Italy, before moving on to Siena, where races are held in July and mid-August.

The tradition is not without controversy, though. Last summer, Siena saw the first large-scale protest against the event by animal rights campaigners. According to Italy’s Anti-Vivisection League, 50 or more animals have died in Palio races since 1970.