15 of the most beloved and unusual royal pets
A chameleon, giraffe, beaver and more...
Hello, Royal Clubbers, it’s Millie here.
Many of us are pet owners but royal pet owners seem to come with a major difference – their pets tend to be far more eccentric. Imagine keeping a straight face when you’re gifted a beaver or a giraffe, and then having to figure out living arrangements (though I guess this is much easier when you can dump them into your very own zoo if you are British royal in London)!
Throughout history, royals have had unusual pets. Tudor Queen Catherine of Aragon had a pet monkey, Chinese emperor Xian Zong Zhu Jianshen had to tell people to stop gifting him lions, while in more recent history Prince William learnt to horseride on a little Shetland pony.
Lately there has been lots of concern about the welfare of the late Queen Elizabeth’s beloved corgis, following the news that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was to relinquish his titles and move out of Royal Lodge. The former prince adopted his mother’s beloved pooches after her passing, and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson looked after them. There was some uncertainty preceding the move about the fate of the corgis, Sandy and Muick, but Buckingham Palace confirmed the dogs would remain “in the family”.
While the corgis might not seem like the most unusual pets, the late Queen had more than her fair share of strange animal companions. Read on to discover which royal kept Tibetan goats, which historic royal had a cheetah, and the weird and wonderful pets looked after by Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Edward…