Yesterday, during Her Majesty’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey, there were a number of poignant nods to the monarch’s ‘lifelong passion’ for the animal.
As a touching tribute to their late relative, Her Majesty’s granddaughter Lady Louise Windsor and the Queen’s great-granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, both wore equestrian-themed jewellery during the ceremony.
Lady Louise, who has inherited her grandfather’s talent for carriage driving, wore a silver pendant in the shape of a horse’s head, while seven-year-old Charlotte pinned a diamond horseshoe brooch to her black coat; a gift to her from the late Queen.
Lady Louise Windsor
Mark Cuthbert/Getty Images
Later in the day, Her Majesty’s favourite pony, Emma, was led to the edge of the Long Walk at Windsor as the Queen’s coffin made its way to St George’s Chapel. The horse was accompanied by Terry Pendry, the monarch’s Head Groom of 25 years. As the coffin passed, Pendry nodded his head in a bow while Emma brushed her hoof along the ground, as if to say a final goodbye. The groom attached one of the Queen’s Hermès headscarves, which was decorated in prints of horses, to Emma’s saddle in what he believed to be ‘a perfect touch’.
