The Royal family although public figures – do like to keep themselves to themselves – nobody wants all of their likes, dislikes and everything else you can find to be used for public knowledge. One thing that we already knew about the Queen is that she does have a love for animals. Of course a lot of people will automatically think about the corgies she has – but recent photos that have previously been unseen show the Queen definitely had an early love for horses and of course they have been a big part of the Royal family’s life since then.
One of the photos that has recently come to light show the Queen at roughly 4-years-old sitting on top of a Shetland Pony she had named Peggy which was a gift from her grandfather. You can see her smiling brightly, paying close attention to her Father, who was then the Duke of York, as he looks on. Another photograph taken by her Father in 1928 includes the Queen playing on a small toy horse in Naseby Hall gardens pretending to ride it – with her mother encouraging her and cheering her on.
Finally, there is a 3rd photograph of the Queen peering out of her pram and holding on to a small horse and cart beside her, pulling the reigns as she moves. These photos were part of a private collection of the Royal family but they will now be released in a new book that is set to launch to celebrate the birth of baby George Alexander Louis.
Of course, later on in life – it has become well-known that the Queen has a love for horses – in fact she was the first Monarch to win the Royal Ascot Gold Cup with her horse Estimate. You will also see footage of the Queen with newborn baby foals, naming them and taking care of them in a documentary that was aired on BBC in May titled ‘The Queen: A Passion for Horses’.
The Queen is said to have started riding horses when she was just 3 and a half in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace which was what prompted her grandfather to give her Peggy, the Shetland pony, for her fourth birthday. The Queen was obviously a fast learner – by the age of 6, she could ride on horses completely unaided. A Royal Collection Trust Spokesman who has created the upcoming book to commemorate Prince George, stated that the Queen’s first ponies became very close childhood companions.
The new book will be titled A Souvenir Album where you will find previously unseen photographs and information on the Royal babies – starting from Queen Victoria right down to baby George. It seems the love of horses definitely runs in the family as you will find Prince William photographed with his pony Smokey too. One thing’s for sure, the book will definitely be an interesting read for fans of the British Royal family.
John Richmere first started writing about sports as a hobby. However, his work rapidly found an audience on some of the internet’s leading blogs and websites. Today John’s writing mainly focuses on his first love – horseracing.