The new King is already proving to break with royal tradition (Picture: Getty Images)

The Queen was well-known for her love of horses while she was alive but the new King will be breaking with a royal tradition that dates back decades.

Charles is set to sell off all of the best-performing racehorses he inherited from the Queen in a ‘scaling back’ from royal tradition.

The 12 treasured racehorses will now be sold off at Newmarket’s Tattersalls auction house.

One of the horses which will be sold includes Just Fine – who was trained by Sir Michael Stoute – and was the first horse to win for the new King.

Love Affairs – who was the Queen’s last winner before she died, will also be put up for sale according to The Mail on Sunday.

A royal source said there are whispers about the ‘winding down’ of the breeding operation over the next three years and this will happen until it ceases to become a commercial option.

The source said: ‘The royal stud could be a museum in three years. It would be a real shame.’

But the source also added: ‘The connection between the family and the horse racing industry will continue.

‘The desire is to continue with the traditions and connections with Royal Ascot but not on the same scale as Her Majesty because she had a passion.’

Charles is set to be ‘scaling back’ from certain royal traditions (Picture: Getty Images)

Racehorsing proved to be a popular hobby for the Queen while she was alive (Picture: Getty Images)

A royal source says the connection between the royal family and the racehorsing industry will continue (Picture: Getty Images)

Charles – who has 60 racehorses and 38 brood mares in Sandringham – is expected to start reducing the numbers soon.

Just like the Queen’s last breed, the 30 new foals which are expected in the new year will also likely be sold for a high price.

A racing source said the Gulf State yards are especially eager to buy from the new monarch and claim a connection to the Queen.

The Queen was well-known for her love of horses throughout her reign and she had 37 horses in races this year, of which a third were inherited by Charles.

After the death of her father King George VI, the Queen inherited her father’s breeding and racing stock – which ignited her life-long love for the sport.

More: News

But race horsing comes at a price – with the Queen using money from her private purse to fund the hobby.

However, last year was her best year in racing with 36 of her horses being crowned winners which meant she earnt a staggering £590,000 in prize money.

The Queen usually sold around seven horses a year so this month’s planned sale represents a large increase.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The Queen was well-known for her love of racehorses.