HIDDEN MEANING behind birthday portrait of the Queen, 96, posing with two white horses
Queen Elizabeth II was seen in an adorable portrait shared on her 96th birthday, signifying her lifelong love of horses.
The Royal Windsor Horse Show marked the event by releasing a new birthday portrait of the monarch, taken by reputed landscape photographer Henry Dallal, who has previously snapped the Queen and her horses. The Queen was seen standing between two of her fell ponies -- Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale -- on the grounds of Windsor Castle as she held their reins while garbed in a deep moss green coat. The Queen reportedly plans to spend her birthday in private, after a senior Buckingham Palace spokesperson told E! News that she has "traveled to the Sandringham estate for a private break."
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The equestrian birthday portrait raised questions about the possible hidden meanings behind it. According to OK! magazine, a white horse holds "cultural and symbolic significance" and is associated with "purity, heroism, spiritual enlightenment, and the triumph of good over evil." At the same time, the photograph also highlights the monarch's love of horses, especially considering she is known to own several of them.
Happy Birthday, Your Majesty! 🎈
— The Royal Family Channel (@RoyalFamilyITNP) April 21, 2022
The Queen’s 96th birthday has been marked with the release of a picture reflecting her lifelong interest in horses.
The Queen will be celebrating her special day at her Sandringham estate - a property loved by her late husband, Prince Philip. pic.twitter.com/2RBcrPZpjb
The Queen was gifted her first equine at the tender age of four. And when her father passed away in 1952, Elizabeth inherited his range of breeding and racing stock. According to the magazine, her favorite horses as of 2020 had been a black-brown mare named Betsy, one named Burmese, and a brown riding horse called Sanction. Burmese is thought to be buried on the grounds of the Home Park private, and the Queen was snapped sitting on Sanction in a photograph released for Horse and Hound’s Golden Jubilee.
Fast forward to 2022, the Royal Windsor Horse Show is set to mark the Platinum Jubilee with 'A Gallop through History' -- described as a "personal tribute to our monarchy" featuring a staggering 500 horses and over a thousand performers. Despite the monarch's love for riding horses, doctors are said to have advised her to give up her favorite hobby last year after she experienced "discomfort." A Balmoral insider told The Sun that she was "in quite a bit of discomfort. She adores riding and it has been part of her ritual for most of her life. She has been extremely disappointed not to go riding since the beginning of September.”
Aside from riding horses, the Queen also has a keen interest in equestrian sports and racing. As of 2013, horses owned by the monarch had won over 1600 races, including wins in all of the British Classics except the Grand National. In April 2021, MEAWW reported how the Queen lost a close pal after the death of Sir Michael Oswald, former manager of the Royal Studs, who died at the age of 86. Oswald was known to advise the 96-year-old monarch, as well as the Queen Mother, and presided over their racing interests for nearly three decades.
Oswald was often pictured by the Queen's side at various races over the years. He was also present when the Duchess of Cambridge made her debut at Royal Ascot in 2016, where she was photographed chatting with the equestrian expert. It's worth noting that the Queen had learned to ride a horse when she was just three. "There was never a better and more knowledgeable owner to answer to," Oswald once said of the monarch and her interest in the sport.