Queen Elizabeth's favourite carriage horse has retired.

Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth

The 91-year-old monarch's equine has hung up his reins after 14 years of service, which has seen him involved in state visits, the queen's birthday parade and the opening of parliament.

Daniel will now see out his days at The Horse Trust charity in Buckinghamshire, south east England, and chief executive Jeanette Allen admitted it was a "privilege" to house the four-legged animal for his "twilight years".

She told Horse and Hound magazine: "For everyone at the Horse Trust, it is a privilege to provide a tranquil retirement for horses and ponies that have served the country or our communities.

"[We provide] space, grass underfoot and the opportunity to live out their twilight years enjoying the natural ways of just being a horse.

"Horses working at the Royal Mews belong to the nation and not, as many believe, to the Royal Family.

"We will certainly give Daniel a very happy and loving retirement."

Daniel was so well-loved by the queen that a life-size statue of him and stable mate Storm can be found on a roundabout in Windsor, south east England, after residents commissioned the work to celebrate the monarch's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

The equine started off work at the Metropolitan Police before joining The Royal Mews, a Royal Family site located at Buckingham Palace comprising of stables and a carriage house.


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