Britain’s King Charles III has been gifted a new horse, named Noble, by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as part of a long-standing royal tradition.
“Noble was selected as the ideal horse for His Majesty because of her size and ability,” Royal Communications said in a statement on Saturday.
Charles met Noble, who was bred and trained in Pakenham, Ont., for the first time earlier this week.
Read more:
The Queen’s favourite horse was Canadian. Here’s why the ‘special’ bond endures
Noble was recognized for her “superior physical and athletic ability, as well as her composed personality,” the palace statement said.
“Her calm demeanor allows her to thrive in the sometimes raucous atmosphere of [an] exciting public event.”
Chosen for her athletic ability and calm demeanour, Noble is a veteran of the RCMP’s Musical Ride and has participated in 90 public performances in 50 locations in Canada.
There is a long tradition of the RCMP gifting horses to the Monarch.
🔗https://t.co/YW0IlUMAa7 pic.twitter.com/MJJ5BU8ahx
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 11, 2023
Charles, 74, automatically became king in September on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who was a keen rider and loved horses.
The official coronation ceremony for him and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, will take place on May 6.
This is not the first time the RCMP has gifted a horse to the British Royal Family.
The long tradition of gifting horses dates back to 1969, when the RCMP presented Queen Elizabeth II with the jet-black horse that would go on to become her favourite — Burmese.
Over the course of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II received eight horses from the Mounties, and she gifted back two from her stables.
One of those is Victoria, a five-year-old mare bred from a Canadian horse named Elizabeth that the RCMP had gifted to the Queen in 2012.
— with files from Global News’ Amanda Connolly and Reuters.
© Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
More From Global:
Canadians get ready to set clocks forward amid U.S. push to end daylight saving time
Blue Jays introduce general admission tickets
Meta says it will block news content in Canada if C-18 passes