Beloved Horse Who Led Queen Elizabeth's Funeral Sadly Passes Away
The retired police horse who lead the procession at the late Queen Elizabeth's funeral has died. She was 13 years old.
The horse, a "gentle giant" known as Aurora, first joined the Thames Valley Police's (TVP) mounted section in 2015. She was the first thing that that millions of people saw when watching the Queen's funeral on September 19, 2022.
Aurora, sometimes called "Doris," was a grey Shire Horse, The Daily Mail reports. She was 18 hands high (or about 6 feet) and had been living in the care of the Horse Trust after her retirement. The horse had sadly become lame in her elder years. According to a video shared by @dailymailroyals it said she was born in 2011 and has also been described as being "a glorious marble statue, both stoic and stunning." What a tribute!
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A horse's lifespan can vary, but the Horse Trust said Aurora was put to sleep after she suffered a ruptured ligament.
"Due to her other diagnoses and sheer size, this severely limited her prognosis and any treatment options available would have severely impacted her quality of life to undertake," a spokesperson for the organization told the Daily Mail about the aging horse. "Therefore, it was decided to let Aurora be at peace and run pain free."
Aurora was also on duty at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and was on duty at numerous football matches and music concerts.
Aurora Was Known As a Gentle Giant
Her accomplishments are plenty. But the people who knew Aurora best say she was as gentle as can be.
"Aurora had such a sweet nature, she was another big, gentle giant of ours who generally looked after the newer riders but always did a good job of keeping us on our toes," TVP said in a statement shared on X.com.
The Horse Trust agreed that Aurora was the absolute sweetest. The organization said Aurora fit in well with their other retirees and "made many friends both equine and human due to her placid nature."
"Her gentle character and striking size and beauty made her stable door popular for our visitors to linger at, as Aurora almost always had her head out and was ready for the strokes and adoration she so deserved in her retirement," they continued.
"We cannot thank them enough for the wonderful retirement she got to enjoy," TVP added in a statement obtained by the news outlet. "Gallop pain-free sweet girl and thank you for your service."
Commenters also praised the horse for her many years of work. "Beautiful horse. Now she's with the late Queen! God bless her!" wrote one person online. "Aww so sorry to hear this beautiful creature has crossed the rainbow bridge," someone else chimed in. "Beautiful creature. She’s with the Queen now," a third commenter agreed.
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