From handing the world championship to Bobby Moore to ‘skydiving’ from a helicopter in 2012, The Queen has always been the biggest sport

SHE presented Bobby Moore with the Jules Rimet trophy, parachuted out of a helicopter at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics and refused to sign Dennis Lillee’s autograph at a friendly between Australia and England.

Whilst the Queen’s genuine passion for sport did not extend far beyond her beloved horse racing and the Highland Games at Braemar, Her Majesty was present on many significant occasions.

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And she was also able to win a daughter and a granddaughter as BBC Sportswoman of the Year – both Princess Anne and Zara Tindall, who claimed the coveted gong for their achievements in equestrian sport.

A decade ago, the Queen stole the show at Danny Boyle’s 2012 Olympic opening ceremony when Daniel Craig – as James Bond – arrived at Buckingham Palace to escort the monarch into a helicopter.

Her Majesty spoke the line “Good evening Mr Bond” before her stunt double jumped off the plane over the stadium in Stratford, before the Queen herself arrived to take her seat, with the Duke of Edinburgh at her side.

This sketch – kept secret even from the rest of the royal family – was a key part of a ceremony that was widely seen as a triumph and led to a golden summer for British sport.

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The image of the Queen in 1966, wearing a mustard-coloured hat and coat, presenting the World Cup to England captain Moore – after beating West Germany 4-2 – is one of the most iconic images in English sporting history.

And even in his prime, Moore was a stickler for etiquette.

Hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst said: “Bobby noticed the Queen was wearing gloves.

“He had the foresight not to soil the queen’s gloves. He wiped his hands just before picking up the trophy.”

The death of the Queen comes as…

The longtime monarch has also distributed the silverware at several FA Cup finals – from Blackpool’s 4-3 win over Bolton in the Matthews Final in 1953, their coronation year, to the 1976 final when second division side Southampton shocked Manchester United.

In recent years, her grandson Prince William – the FA President and an avid Aston Villa fan – has usually saluted the honors at English football’s flagship event.

Her Majesty has never revealed any footballing allegiances.

West Ham fans believed she was one of them, although Prince Philip denied this when asked by Hammers co-owner Karren Brady, and Cesc Fabregas once claimed she had admitted to supporting Arsenal.

The Queen was a regular at Lord’s Test matches for most of her reign, attending 26 of them, along with her husband Prince Philip, a keen cricket fan, a keen player in his youth and a former MCC President.

England and the visiting team would usually line up on the outfield to shake Her Majesty’s hand during the tea break, before bidding her farewell with three hip hip hoorays.

But during the 1977 Centennial Test between Australia and England in Melbourne, Australian fast bowler Lillee broke protocol to ask the Queen for an autograph – and even had pen and paper handy.

The monarch politely declined, although days later a signed photograph was sent to Lillee.

Despite Wimbledon’s royal flair and proximity to Buckingham Palace, the Queen wasn’t a tennis fan – she only competed in the championships four times.

But among those occasional visits was the 1977 women’s singles final, when Virginia Wade became the youngest British woman to win the title.

Despite her relatively little interest in most mainstream sports, The Queen was an enthusiastic participant in the Highland Games in Braemar – held there near Balmoral Castle during her regular summer stay – where she is said to have really enjoyed the log tossing and hauling-of war .

She also held the Commonwealth Games close to her heart, as a symbol of the group of nations – mostly former colonies of the British Empire – of which she was the head.

But horse racing was by far the Queen’s favorite sport, and although her race director John Warren described her as “a small fish in a huge pond” and “quite a second division owner”, her horses won four of the five English Classics

Only The Derby eluded Her Majesty – although her horse Carlton House started as a favorite in 2011 only to lose a horseshoe at the Epsom Downs and finish third.

Warren insisted the Queen read the Racing Post every morning and watched footage from Channel 4 Racing and the Racing Channel most evenings.

While her participation in other sporting events understandably became less frequent in her final years, Royal Ascot remained one of her favorite events of the year.

The ‘Sport of Kings’ was very much the Queen’s sport – but her participation in many other major events added extra grandeur.

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