This week is usually one of the Queen's favourite times of the year – Royal Ascot. But due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it will be the first time in her 68-year reign that the monarch has been absent from the race meeting. Now being held behind closed doors, Her Majesty will instead watch the coverage on TV from Windsor Castle.
It's no secret that the Queen has had a strong affection for horses ever since she took her first riding lesson at the age of three. Many of the thoroughbreds she owns have gone on to win impressive titles, and in 2013 she even made sporting history when she became the first reigning monarch to win Royal Ascot's Gold Cup with her thoroughbred Estimate. In honour of one of the world's most dedicated royal equestrians, we take a look at some of the Queen's best reactions to seeing horses when she's out and about.
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The Queen at The King's Troop 70th Anniversary Parade
This has to be one of the most adorable images of the Queen we've ever seen. Dressed in a bright pink two-piece, Her Majesty looked completely smitten as she inspected the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in London's Hyde Park back in 2017. Fun fact, the Queen declared that the name "The King's Troop" would remain in honour of her father King George VI on her accession to the throne.