Heartbreaking

Queen Elizabeth’s touching farewell to pony Emma

Queen Elizabeth on a ride with her fur pony in Windsor.(Bild: Steve Parsons / PA)

A few weeks before her death, Queen Elizabeth bid farewell to a long-time companion in a particularly touching way: her beloved pony Emma. The 96-year-old monarch, well aware that it would be the last time, bravely mounted the saddle once more despite her fragility.

Terry Pendry, her groom of many years, revealed in a moving account how delicate and frail the Queen appeared in those moments. Despite her weakness, she insisted on getting into the saddle herself, but asked her faithful companion to walk beside her to protect her from a fall, he told the Daily Mail.

Spirit unbroken
Her spirit was unbroken - she even jokingly admonished him when he mentioned her age. Pendry took a photo that day, which the Queen later pasted into her scrapbook, accompanied by a handwritten note.

Honorable conclusion
For Pendry, who rode alongside the Queen for 28 years, it was an honorable conclusion to a deep bond with his employer in his memory.

On July 18, 2022, less than two months before her death, the Queen visited the stables one last time to bring Emma carrots, he continued.

Pendry, who witnessed this farewell meeting, is convinced that the monarch experienced her last encounter with a quiet sense of finality, even if she didn't say a word about it

Deep bond with her animals
These final moments between Queen Elizabeth and her faithful pony Emma show the monarch's deep attachment to her animals. In addition to her love of horses, she had a passion for corgis, which accompanied her throughout her life. 

The Queen closed her eyes forever at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022.