The Queen beams as she receives incredibly rare gift that's close to her heart

The Queen received a rare gift from the President of Azerbaijan who presented Her Majesty with a Karabakh horse, one of the rarest and oldest breeds of horse in Europe.

• The Queen has loved horses for many years since she was a young girl. 
• This appreciation for the animal was recognized by Azerbaijan as the country gifted the Queen with the rare horse.
• In other royal news, Prince William’s adorable nod to Kate Middleton as he undertakes major duty ahead of Jubilee weekend.

On May 16, 2022, the Queen received a rare horse as a gift from Elchin Guliyev, the president of the Azerbaijan Equestrian Federation on behalf of Azerbaijan. The Queen appeared to be delighted by this gift, which was a Karabakh horse, named Shohrat, which means “Glory”.

Alongside the horse, the Queen was also given two small horse cultures which were made by Azeri sculptor Faiq Hajiyev. The Queen beamed as she received these gifts and said that it was 'very kind.' 

Glory is not the first Karabakh horse that the Queen has owned as she was also gifted one in 1956 by Azerbaijan named Zaman.

This horse was a gift for Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee as the Queen celebrates her 70-year reign on the throne. In celebration of the Jubilee, the Queen beamed with joy at Windsor Horse Show at Windsor Castle, where Azerbaijan also competed in the equestrian event. 

On Sunday, the Queen attended the finale of the equestrian event 'A Gallop Through History'. The final show featured more than 1,000 performers and 500 horses.

This was a key way to highlight one of the Queen's most important hobbies as she has always been fascinated with horses and ponies and loves a variety of equestrian activities. This is a hobby that she has passed on to her children and grandchildren which was clear as Lady Louise was a 'pinnacle of grace' as she led an emotional tribute to Prince Philip as she drove her grandfather's cart and participated in the horse show.

The Queen is also an important figure when it comes to the preservation of certain breeds. While ponies are not racing horses, Her Majesty's adoration of the animal has led her to set up pony sanctuaries on her palace grounds.

The Queen breeds Shetland ponies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Fell ponies at Hampton Court. Her Majesty also opened a Highland pony stud at Balmoral to preserve the breed of ponies that are native to the Scottish Highlands.