The Queen has received her official welcome to Balmoral Castle, despite already arriving at her Scottish home over two weeks ago, but there was another special guest in attendance who actually stole the show.
In a ceremony at her holiday residence, the Queen was greeted by The Royal Regiment of Scotland, meaning she was also reunited with the regiment’s mascot - a Shetland pony called Lance Corporal Cruachan IV - and the pictures of her meeting him are so sweet.
Cruachan the pony is notoriously cheeky, having previously tried to eat the Queen's flowers, as well as nibbling at Prince Harry's fingers when he visited Edinburgh with Meghan Markle back in 2018 - so it's no wonder the Queen seemed so happy to see him.
In a series of cute photos showing the Queen meeting Cruachan, we can see her smiling down at the unusual mascot during a particularly sweet moment. We know the Queen is a big fan of horses, and an avid horse rider, so we're sure getting to meet Lance Corporal Cruachan IV is always a treat.
A video of the Queen meeting the cheeky pony in question was also shared to the Royal Family's official YouTube channel - and her huge grin when she gets up close to the mascot is actually adorable. Skip to around two minutes in to see the cute moment:
Elsewhere in the ceremony, the Queen, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, inspected a Guard of Honour, formed of the 5 SCOTS, Balaklava Company and the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
She arrived at Balmoral castle, where she usually spends her summer holiday, on 23 July, but this official welcome to the castle is a long-standing royal tradition - although last year's ceremony couldn't take place due to the pandemic.
We hope the Queen enjoys her stay!
Emily Gulla was Cosmopolitan UK’s Former Editorial Assistant/Junior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer, covering celebs, TV and film for the site, magazine and video. She’s interviewed the casts of your favourite TV shows, from Bridgerton to Derry Girls and Stranger Things, as well as dozens of Love Islanders. She also loves getting stuck into long-read features, writing on all things digital culture (including her favourite topic: memes), and dating - having appeared on the radio to discuss dating.
Emily's work has also been published on ELLE, Women's Health, Harper's Bazaar, Digital Spy and more. She holds a First Class degree in English with Film Studies from King's College London, and even wrote her dissertation on Love Island. You can find Emily on Instagram and LinkedIn, and can see more of her work on her website.
