Royal Corgis and Other Animals of the British Monarchy

Princess Elizabeth received Susan as an 18th-birthday gift in 1944. The puppy she holds in this photograph became the ancestor of many of the corgis Elizabeth kept as queen. The picture was taken in the grounds of Windsor Castle that May.

Princess Victoria's childhood spaniel already had a portrait before she became queen. Her mother gave her Edwin Landseer's small painting of Dash for her 17th birthday in 1836. The close view of his face and red collar records a pet she also drew herself.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police presented this black mare to Elizabeth II in 1969. The queen rode Burmese at Trooping the Colour for 18 years, through 1986. This photograph shows her last year making the ceremonial ride on the mare.

Legend says the kingdom and Tower will fall if the ravens leave, and credits Charles II with ordering their protection. What visitors can see for themselves is a flock of resident ravens looked after by a Ravenmaster. The bird pictured is one of the Tower's residents.

Dookie joined the household of the future George VI in 1933, after Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret played with a friend's Pembroke corgi. The Royal Collection traces the name to kennel staff who knew the puppy was destined for the Duke of York. The garden photograph shows Dookie and Jane with Elizabeth.

Candy was one of the four dogs in Annie Leibovitz’s 2016 birthday portrait of Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle. The palace identified Candy and Vulcan as dorgis, descended from crosses between corgis and dachshunds. The other dogs in the portrait are the corgis Willow and Holly.

Prince Albert brought his greyhound to Britain when he married Victoria in 1840. The Queen surprised him with Edwin Landseer's life-size painting of Eos for Christmas. It hung in his dressing room at Buckingham Palace, a place where he could enjoy the gift in private.

Edward VII's terrier followed the king's funeral procession in 1910. Caesar also appears at the feet of the king's tomb in St George's Chapel. The Fabergé carving shown here, commissioned during the king's lifetime, gives the dog a gold and enamel collar.

Prince Leopold, a son of Queen Victoria, had a white cat named Snowdrop. William Bambridge photographed the cat in July 1856. The Royal Collection preserves the print as well as glass negatives, documenting an animal often missing from the better-known portraits of royal dogs.

Victoria’s uncle Ernest gave her this parrot in 1836. Edwin Landseer painted Lory alone and included the bird in the group portrait shown here, with Victoria’s spaniel Dash and two other dogs. The parrot appears at the front of the composition.

The Highland pony Flora carried Victoria in a series of photographs in 1865. Edwin Landseer later painted the widowed queen riding Flora at Osborne, with John Brown holding the pony. The scene records a familiar mount as part of a public image of Victoria in mourning.

Webster was a favorite childhood mount of Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's son. The small pony held still long enough to appear with his grooms in an 1848 daguerreotype of the Royal Mews. Victoria recorded visiting the stables to watch the horses being photographed.

Persimmon won the Derby and St Leger in 1896 and the Ascot Gold Cup in 1897 for the future Edward VII. After the Derby the Prince of Wales led the horse in himself. As king, he bought the silver Fabergé portrait shown here and ordered bronze copies as mementos.

Estimate won the 2013 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot under jockey Ryan Moore. Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to win the race as an owner. The moment put a spotlight on a side of her life as a longtime owner and breeder of racehorses.

The Fell pony Elizabeth II rode in private appeared at Windsor during her 2022 funeral. The pony's groom, Terry Pendry, stood with Emma as the coffin passed on its way to St George's Chapel. The photograph records that moment.