42 Pictures That Prove the Royal Family Is Full of Animal-Lovers
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Have you ever wondered what happens when a bee flies up a prince's sleeve, or when the queen comes face to face with a goat? The royal family is known for their love of dogs and horses, but what about the remaining creatures, great and small? On their travels around the world, the royals have been introduced to numerous spiny, scaly, feathered, and furry friends — with mixed responses — while their own faithful companions have provided much love and entertainment over the years. From cute to comical, awesome to awe-inspiring, here are some of our favorite pictures of the royals with animals.
Prince Harry got licked on the nose by a puppy in Lesotho during a visit in June 2010.
Charles and Camilla got up close and personal with a bald eagle called Zephyr at the Sandringham Flower Show in July 2015.
William and Kate met German Shepherd police training pups in New Zealand in April 2014.
The queen and Prince Philip admired a ceremonial goat in Swansea, Wales, back in 2008.
Kate fed a tree kangaroo during the royal couple's visit to Australia in April 2014.
A young Prince Harry posed with with his pony, Smokey, in 1986.
The queen is never far from her beloved Corgis, as pictured here in 1974.
Charles and Camilla held on (barely) to their rescue Jack Russells, Beth and Bluebell, during a visit to Scotland in June 2015.
Kate awarded shamrocks to the Irish Guard's Wolfhound on St. Patrick's Day in 2014.
A young Prince Edward posed with his Black Labrador, Frances, in the grounds of Buckingham Palace back in 1982.
William, Kate, and George visited the butterfly house at the Natural History Museum in July 2014.
William kissed his Spaniel, Lupo, at a June 2012 polo match.
Prince Harry met a 100-year-old lizard (named Harry) on a trip to New Zealand in May 2015.
In April 2014, Kate and William fed the giraffes at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia.
Camilla met a trainee guide dog named Clover during a visit to ITV's This Morning in London in September 2015.
Harry hammed it up with an echidna named Spike during a 2003 trip to Australia.
Harry cuddled King Juan Carlos I of Spain's puppy while on a family holiday to Majorca in 1987.
Kate, William, and George took one of their first family photos in August 2013 with Lupo and the Middletons' golden retriever, Tilly.
William raised awareness for the illegal ivory trade while visiting a rescue elephant named Ran Ran during a 2015 visit to China.
Harry and William played up to the cameras with a 16-foot-long rock python during their tour of Botswana in 2010.
A young Princess Elizabeth snuggled with one of her first Corgis back in 1936.
Charles and Camilla posed with the koalas in Adelaide, Australia, in 2012.
Harry pet a goat at the 50th anniversary screening of his favorite film, Zulu, in June 2014.
Camilla visited the London International Horse Show in December 2008.
Kate met Fred the ram at Sydney's Royal Easter Show in 2014.
Harry pet his house masters' spaniels, Rosie and Jenny, at Eton College in 2003.
Harry hung out with a ranger tracker dog in South Africa in December 2015.
Prince William met Zawadi the rhino before it was released back into the wild in June 2012.
Charles and Camilla couldn't keep a straight face when a bee flew up the prince's sleeve in New Zealand in November 2015.
William, Kate, and George met the bilbies in Australia during their 2014 visit.
A young Prince Charles and Princess Anne got silly in the sand with one of the queen's Corgis in 1957.
William and Harry pet a cheetah during their tour of Africa in 2010.
Harry visited the Canine Partners Training Center in July 2010.
Kate and William met koalas in Sydney in 2014.
Kate got a kiss from this cute dog during her visit to Lavender Primary School in February 2019.
Harry and Meghan made friends with a chill koala during their Australian tour in October 2018.
William fed a baby rhino during a visit to the Kaziranga National Park in India in April 2016.
Princess Charlotte couldn't contain her excitement as she petted a fluffy dog during Kate and Will's royal tour of Canada in September 2016.
Meghan and Harry had to pause their visit with Ireland's president Michael Higgins and his wife Sabina as they greeted these dogs during their visit to Ireland in July 2018.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, met a donkey named Ollie and a cute pony named Harry during a charity event at the Guards Chapel in December 2018.
Harry couldn't help but lean down to greet this cute dog during a visit to Chichester, West Sussex, in October 2018.
Meghan cuddled up to a dog named Minnie during her visit to the animal welfare charity Mayhew in January 2019.