The royal family experienced fresh grief on Christmas Eve following the sad news that Queen Elizabeth II's stallion, Royal Applause, passed away.
The 29-year-old horse was a favourite of Her Majesty's, and has been living at Sandringham since 1997, when he retired from racing. He was a handsome fellow, fathering many of the foals the Queen bred.
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Her Majesty's love of horses was well-known, and her personal horse, named Emma, was pride of place during the late monarch's final return to Windsor for her funeral.
As the Royal Hearse made its way along the Long Walk through Windsor Park towards her committal service, the Queen's glossy black horse Emma stood at the side of the path, watching over proceedings.
The imposing black horse behaved impeccably as her master was driven past for the final time, standing still and stoic amid all the pomp and circumstance.
Queen Elizabeth II riding her horse, Emma
Queen Elizabeth II was known for her passion for both horses and horse racing, and in a recent interview, broadcaster Clare Balding revealed the sweet reason behind the Queen's love of horse racing.
Speaking on the BBC during the Queen's final journey from Northolt to Buckingham Palace, Clare said: "The Queen's passions were horses and dogs. Racing was the passion she shared with the public. The Queen loved to go to the stables to see horses on gallops in the morning and talk to all the grooms."
Her Majesty was happiest with her horses
The broadcaster went on to share that Her Majesty enjoyed horse racing because all eyes were not on her for a change.
Christmas 2022 was always going to be bittersweet for the royal family, as it's their first without the late Queen, with Princess Kate paying tribute to the monarch at her carol concert.
The Princess of Wales said: "Her Majesty held Christmas close to her heart, as a time that brought people together and reminded us of the importance of faith, friendship and family, and to show empathy and compassion."
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