A renowned horse whisperer who enjoyed a decades-long friendship with the late Queen Elizabeth II and once moved the Queen Mother to "tears" has passed away at age 91, his daughter revealed.
American horse trainer Monty Roberts, who first connected with the royal family in 1989 and worked with Hollywood stars like James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor, died on 31 July. His daughter Debbie announced the heartbreaking news with "profound sadness" on social media on Sunday evening.
"For the world, he was known as the man who listens to horses. To me, he was simply Dad, a man of extraordinary kindness, unwavering integrity, and an unshakable belief that trust could accomplish what force never could," the lengthy tribute began.
© Getty Images"For more than eight decades, he dedicated his life to changing the way people understand and work with horses. His mission reached far beyond horsemanship. He believed that true leadership is built on communication, patience, empathy, and respect; lessons that have touched the lives of countless people around the world."
Debbie said that the family were "deeply grateful for the love, friendship, and support you have shown him throughout his remarkable life.
"While our hearts are broken, we also find comfort in knowing that his legacy lives on every time someone chooses compassion over force, listens before asking, and seeks a better partnership with their horse."
She continued: "As his daughter, I have always known that one day I would be entrusted with carrying his life's work forward. That responsibility is one I accept with humility, gratitude, and determination. Together with our family and our dedicated team, we remain committed to preserving and sharing the philosophy that meant everything to him.
"One of the most meaningful ways to honour and continue Monty's legacy is to learn the gentle methods he devoted his life to teaching," Debbie wrote, highlighting her father's training facility in California, called the Monty Roberts International Learning Center.
His friendship with the late Queen
© Getty ImagesThe horse trainer was invited to give a demonstration at Windsor Castle in 1989 by the Queen Mother. Roberts told People in 2021 that the late monarch "had tears in her eyes". In conversation with The Post in 2023, Monty recalled after his visit to Windsor, "Queen Elizabeth’s mother came up to me with tears in her eyes" and told him his saddling demonstration was "the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life".
After connecting with the royal family, Monty struck up a decades-long friendship with the late Queen Elizabeth, bonding over their shared love of animals. Their surprising friendship was detailed in the 2023 documentary The Cowboy and the Queen.
In 2015, the monarch reunited with the horse trainer when he visited the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace to give a horse demonstration to the royal and her daughter-in-law Camilla, who was the Duchess of Cornwall at the time.
The horse trainer told The Post that he helped the Queen "learn how to read that personality that horses have and do the things that cause them to be friendly with you and not a flight animal."
The Queen's final request to Monty
Monty spoke to the Queen just weeks before her death, revealing her heartbreaking final message to him. He told the publication he had overheard the monarch on the phone talking about a "dreadful problem that she had that the doctors were working on at the time".
© GettyHe admitted: "It was to say goodbye. She thought she was going and she did go. It was heartbreaking for me to listen to that. One of the things she said to me was, 'If there’s a meeting of everybody and I’m not around and I’m gone, I don’t want you to cry' – and I said I won’t. And then she died."
Monty was at the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey in September 2022. The horse whisperer recalled the moment the casket stopped in front of him. "I can reach out and touch it – water started running down my eyes as if I had two faucets. I had to sit down and I felt like I heard the queen say, 'It’s okay, go ahead and sit down."
