Part of the joy of a royal public engagement is seeing the royals meet people from communities from all over the world. But coming in second is the array of adorable and unexpected furry friends that the royals have met along the way.
We know that the royals are keen animal lovers with the late Queen and her iconic Corgis through to Queen Camilla and her spirited adopted Jack Russell Terriers Beth and Bluebell.
But aside from these regal pooches, the royal families of Europe have met some pretty cute animals and had some, often amusing, public interactions - we'll never get the image of King Charles taking on a bald eagle out of our heads.
Take a look at some of the sweetest, or most hilarious, moments of royals with the most unusual array of furry friends, and the odd feathered one too…
© GettyPrincess Kate's puppy pal
Princess Kate is known for her maternal instincts and it seems these extend to animals. The Princess was seen meeting Alfie, an apricot cockapoo who is a therapy puppy funded through the charity ELHT&me using a grant from NHS Charities Together, during a visit to Clitheroe Community Hospital in 2022.
© GettyPrince William horsing around
Prince William has been an animal lover from a young age. Here the young Prince was seen taking a relaxed ride on his pony (how very royal) at Highgrove with his late mother Princess Diana.
© GettyCharles' piggy pal
Who would have thought it - the King of the United Kingdom with a pig? Charles was seen promoting the message to buy British food and help British farmers by posing with a pig and a local farmer Peter during a visit to Warriner School Organic Farm in Oxfordshire in 2003.
© GettyCamilla's koala cuddle
In 2012, the then-Duchess of Cornwall was seen holding the cutest koala at Government House in Adelaide, Australia during the second leg of a Diamond Jubilee Tour. It doesn't get much more adorable.
© GettyThe King's eagle encounter
Perhaps our favourite of all is this amazing moment when the King and Queen came face to face with Zephyr, a Bald Eagle, and the mascot of The Army Air Corps during a visit to the Sandringham Flower Show in 2015.
© GettyThe Queen's elephant experience
During a visit to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi National Park in 2023 Queen Camilla was seen in a picture-perfect moment with an elephant to commemorate Kenya's 60th year of independence.
© GettyPrincess Anne's bull buddy
The Princess Royal viewed a prizewinning bull as she visited the Westmorland County Show in Milnthorpe in 2021.
© GettyDuchess Sophie's playful pup
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh met a gorgeous guide dog at the British Cycling National Track Championships at the National Cycling Centre this February and the pup certainly took a shine to her.
© GettySarah Ferguson's parrot fashion
Sarah Ferguson was seen in Brisbane, Australia in 1988 with the most unexpected of feathered friends - a beautiful parrot that matched her white outfit.
© GettyPrince Harry's royal rabbit
Prince Harry was seen as a child with his parents the then-Prince Charles and late Princess Diana at home at Highgrove House, joining their furry roster with William's pony.
© GettyPrincess Diana feeling sheepish
The late Princess Of Wales was spotted in 1986 speaking with sheep handlers at the Suffolk Show, an annual agricultural fair held in Trinity Park, Ipswich with an array of woolly friends.
© GettyDuchess with a dog
Meghan Markle met the sweetest Jack Russell called Minnie during her visit to the Mayhew, a London-based animal welfare charity in 2019, showing her love for animals in action.
© GettyPrincess Charlotte's canine companion
Princess Charlotte showed her affinity for animals that mirrors her mothers when she met springer spaniel police dog Stella at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in 2023 with her parents the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as her brother Prince George.
© GettyPrince George's Australian amigo
Prince George was like a duck to water when he visited Australia with his parents in 2014 at the age of just one where he met a bilby, which had been named after the young Prince, during a visit to Sydney's Taronga Zoo.
© GettyPrincess Charlene's festive friend
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene enjoyed a reindeer sled ride during their 2012 visit to Norway where the Princess wrapped up warm in festive red.
© GettyQueen with a kangaroo
Queen Mary of Denmark went back to her Australian roots in 2005 when she watched grey kangaroos in the gardens of Government House in Canberra alongside her husband King Frederik and Major General Michael Jeffrey, the Governor General of Australia.
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