Horses belonging to the Royal Family have made frequent headlines lately ‒ either championing Emma, the Queen’s loyal Fell pony who went viral after her stoic appearance at the funeral or recent news that the Queen Consort, Camilla, will be taking the reins of the late monarch’s royal racing stable. This latter report comes at a time when King Charles has stated he wishes to reduce the palace expenditures, including the number of horses it keeps.
But at least one new horse has been added to the Royal Mews, a seven-year-old black mare named Noble, a gift to the new monarch from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), an institution that marks its 150th anniversary this year.
The Royal Family posted about the gorgeous black mare on its social media channels, along with two images of the King and Noble appearing to size each other up. The King is said to be planning on riding Noble in official ceremonies such as the Trooping the Colour once his current parade mount, George, who was gifted to Charles in 2009 when he was still the Prince of Wales, is retired.
According to a Palace statement, the RCMP took part in the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and since that time the Mounties gave Her Late Majesty eight horses throughout her reign. Perhaps the most famous of these was Burmese, who was given to Her Majesty in 1969 and who was ridden by Queen Elizabeth II at Trooping the Colour for 18 years. She was riding Burmese during a failed assassination attempt in 1981.
The other horses given to Queen Elizabeth II are:
- Centenial (gifted in 1973 to mark RCMP centenary)
- James (gifted in 1998 as part of RCMP 125th anniversary). The King as Prince of Wales regularly rode James for Trooping the Colour
- George (gifted in 2009 to mark 40th anniversary since Burmese). The King as Prince of Wales has ridden George for Trooping the Colour
- Elizabeth (gifted in 2012 to mark Diamond Jubilee)
- Sir John (gifted in 2016 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday)
- Kluane and Darby (both gifted in 2019 to mark 80th anniversary of breeding program and 50th anniversary of presentation of Burmese)
As for Noble, the mare was bred and trained in Pakenham, Ontario, and received her name through the RCMP’s annual “Name the Foal” contest. The mare toured with the RCMP’s Musical Ride in 2022, where she was recognized for her “superior physical and athletic ability, as well as her composed personality.” Noble participated in 90 public performances at 50 different locations in Canada. The 16.2 hh mare was chosen as the ideal mount for His Majesty because of her size and ability, as well as her calm disposition, which will put her in good stead during her new role at public events.
The RCMP and The Royal Family have a long history, dating back to 1904 when King Edward VII bestowed the title of ‘Royal’ on the North-West Mounted Police, making it the Royal North-West Mounted Police. Four members of the RCMP, riding horses they had gifted to The Queen, took part in Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession in September 2022.
We wish Noble and King Charles a long and healthy partnership!
