The Englilsh Royals and a Few of their Pets!

Some pets have even merited their own portraits, and, as in many households, were considered very much members of the family. When Queen Victoria’s beloved Collie, Noble, died at Balmoral in 1887, he was buried in the grounds of the castle and given his own gravestone, which read:

'Noble by name by nature noble too Faithful companion sympathetic true His remains are interred here'

A terrier named Caesar belonging to King Edward VII was given even greater status when, having outlived the king, he walked behind His Majesty’s coffin in the funeral procession.

The current Queen is, of course, associated with the Corgi. The breed was introduced to the Royal Family by her father, King George VI, in 1933 when he bought a Corgi called Dookie from a local kennels. The animal proved popular with his daughters and was described as ‘unquestionably the character of the Princesses’ delightful canine family’ and ‘a born sentimentalist’. A second Corgi was acquired called Jane who had puppies, two of which, Crackers and Carol, were kept.

For her eighteenth birthday, The Queen was given a Corgi named Susan from whom numerous successive dogs were bred. Some Corgis were mated with dachsunds (most notably Pipkin, who belonged to Princess Margaret) to create ‘Dorgis’.

At present, The Queen owns two Corgis: Willow and Holly and two Dorgis: Candy and Vulcan.

The Queen’s corgis travel with her to the various residences, with Her Majesty looking after them herself as much as possible given her busy schedule.

Other members of the Royal Family own dogs of various breeds. The Duchess of Cornwall owns two Jack Russell terriers, Tosca and Rosie.

The Princess Royal and her daughter Zara Phillips are well-known for competing professionally in three-day eventing. Her Royal Highness’s first major event was Badminton in 1971, where she was placed fifth on her horse Doublet. Later that year, the pair won the European Championship at Burghley. The Princess went on to compete in numerous international events, most notably the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal.

Zara Phillips has also enjoyed success as an event rider on her horse Toytown. She won individual and team gold at the 2005 European Eventing Championship in Blenheim and individual gold and team silver medals at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.

The Duchess of Cornwall takes a keen and knowledgeable interest in horses and enjoys riding in her spare time. She has bred horses herself and keeps three, Molly, Willie and Bearskin, at the Highgrove Estate. The horses take part in showjumping, showing, general riding and cross-country trialling. Her Royal Highness often attends equestrian events as a spectator.

Working animals have been used for centuries by the Royal Family and the Royal Household for travel, sport and for use in ceremonial events. The pigeon lofts , Burmese - The Queen's favourite Trooping horse, The Royal Mews, The Royal Studs, The Royal Kennels

The exchange of gifts between rulers is an ancient custom and gift giving is recorded as far back as 1520 when Henry VIII and Francis I of France exchanged gifts at the Field of Cloth of Gold in Northern France.

The tradition has continued throughout the reigns of subsequent Monarchs. Possibly the most unusual of these are the live animals which have been exchanged. A cheetah was sent from India to George III in 1764, and a giraffe was given to George IV by the Pasha of Egypt in 1827. At a time when many people did not know what these animals were these rare and exotic gifts enabled rulers to display their wealth

Animals given as gifts during The Queen’s reign include: a brown Syrian bear given to Princess Anne by the Soviet leaders Bulganin and Kruschev; two sloths given to The Queen during her State Visit to Brazil in 1968; a baby crocodile given to Prince Andrew (The Duke of York) following the State Visit to Gambia in 1961 and a horse given to The Queen by Queen Beatrix of Netherlands.