LONDON: She has several castles and hundreds of millions of pounds in the bank, but Queen Elizabeth II looked delighted with her winnings from a horse show — a £50 supermarket voucher.
Photos published Friday from the Royal Windsor Horse Show showed a smiling British monarch, who has a life-long passion for horses, clutching a voucher from retailer Tesco.
Her 14-year-old bay gelding Barber’s Shop won first prize in the Tattersalls and RoR Thoroughbred Ridden Show Series Qualifier at the show near her Windsor Castle residence on Thursday.
The voucher may not be worth much financially to a woman who has a personal fortune of £340 million ($490 million, 430 million euros), according to the Sunday Times Rich List. But the Daily Telegraph reported that the queen burst out laughing when she opened the winner’s envelope, which included the gift token and another for a jacket from another retailer.
“She usually distributes her winnings to her trainers, jockeys and others with a hand in her success,” the newspaper reported.
Tesco later offered its congratulations, with a spokesman quoted by the Telegraph as saying: “We hope this win provides a little help with the weekly royal shop.”
The latest royal accounts show the queen’s household spent £1.3 million on food and drink in 2015 — the equivalent of £25,000 a week.
The queen’s modest winnings made for some better headlines in Friday’s papers than earlier in the week, when the monarch was caught in a rare diplomatic gaffe describing some Chinese officials as “very rude.”
Queen delighted after winning Tesco voucher
Queen delighted after winning Tesco voucher
Thai coffee chains cut default sugar content in coffee and tea drinks in a new health push
- The Health Department says Thais consume 21 teaspoons of sugar daily, far exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended six teaspoons
- Officials warn this increases obesity and diabetes risks. A survey found iced coffee and bubble tea contain high sugar levels
BANGKOK: For many Thais, a meal doesn’t feel complete without an iced coffee or tea so sugary it could pass for dessert. The government, concerned about the health consequences, wants them to dial it back.
Starting Wednesday, nine major coffee chains across the country have pledged to cut the default sugar content in some of their drinks by half in a government initiative aimed at tackling excessive sugar consumption.
According to the Health Department, Thais consume an average of 21 teaspoons of sugar per day, more than three times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of six teaspoons. Health officials warn that such high intake increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
The initiative is the first significant step to change consumers’ sugar consumption behavior, said Amporn Benjaponpitak, the director general of the department.
Pakorn Tungkasereerak, the department’s deputy, said 2025 data show that about 45 percent of Thais aged 15 and older are obese, while 10 percent of the population has diabetes.
A survey by the Bureau of Nutrition found that a 22-ounce (650-milliliter) iced coffee contains an average of nine teaspoons of sugar, while a 10-ounce (300-milliliter) serving of bubble milk tea — an iced milk tea with tapioca pearls known as boba — can contain as much as 12 teaspoons.
Sirinya Kuiklang, an office worker, said she approves of the changes. She already orders her drinks at just 25 percent of the standard sugar level, but she is aware that many others consume too much sugar.
“It’s good for Thai people,” she said.
Another office worker, Porwares Tantikanpanit, said he has enjoyed his non-coffee beverages at their current sugar levels but is willing to adjust if shops reduce the sweetness.
However, putting the policy into practice may prove challenging. Officials have said each brand can apply the initiative as they see fit.
Some customers have expressed confusion in response to social media posts promoting the initiative, asking how to order drinks with the level of sweetness that they prefer. Several brands said that the reduction applies only to certain menu items.
