Her royal animal FAVOURITES

From cheeky corgi to faithful pony, when the Queen is off duty, there's bound to be a four-legged friend by her side

- CHRISTABEL SMITH

The Queen did what many of us have done during lockdown - she acquired a puppy. In fact, she now has two corgi pups, who are enjoying life in the royal residence.

Her Majesty simply loves animals, but if she'd taken in all those she's received as gifts during her reign, Buckingham Palace would have needed to open a zoo!

There have been kangaroos, crocodiles, elephants, a sloth and a pair of pygmy hippopotami from Liberia. More useful was Beauchamp Oxford Lady, a Jersey cow gifted to her in 1957, who joined the royal dairy herd.

But it’s her personal pets who have brought her the most joy. And with all the trickier humans she’s had to deal with in her lifetime, it’s little wonder she’s most comfortable around all creatures great and small.