Buckingham Palace has released a new picture of one of the Queen’s favourite ponies, who made a poignant appearance at her funeral.
Emma the Fell Pony stood at the side of the Long Walk on the approach to Windsor Castle as the coffin carrying her devoted owner was driven past at her final farewell last month.
And now a portrait of the black pony, who was born in 1996, has been released in tribute.
During the ceremonial procession on 19 September, Emma stood in a gap between the hundreds of thousands of floral tributes, in the care of the Queen’s trusted stud groom and manager at Windsor Castle, Terry Pendry.
Image: Emma standing beside floral tributes as the Ceremonial Procession of the coffin arrived at Windsor Castle
Mr Pendry, in his bowler hat, black jacket and riding boots, bowed his head as the coffin passed.
Behind them were grooms from the Royal Mews at Windsor wearing black armbands in mourning.
Emma’s ears twitched, and she swished her tail, stomping on the ground twice with one of her front hooves as the Queen’s coffin moved past in the state hearse with a military parade.
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Mr Pendry once described Emma, who was bought by the Queen in 2004, as “a wonderful servant to Her Majesty” and one of her favourite-ever horses.
Image: The Queen’s love of dogs was also reflected in her passing when her corgis Muick and Sandy stood in wait for the cortège on the day of the state funeral and burial
The Queen regularly rode Emma – whose full name is Carltonlima Emma – for light exercise in the grounds around Windsor Castle over the past 15 years.
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During her career, Emma also qualified at the Horse of the Year Show Ridden Finals, and at Olympia in the Mountain and the Moorland Supreme Championship Final.
On her retirement in December 2007, she returned to the Royal Mews at Windsor, where she will continue to live.
The palace said she will be “much-loved and cared for”.
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Queen Elizabeth comes home to Windsor – her final resting place.
Gift from King George
Emma appeared in three Pageants at The Royal Windsor Horse Show to mark the Diamond Jubilee, the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations and the Platinum Jubilee.
The Queen was known for her life-long love of horses, which began when her grandfather King George V gave her a Shetland Pony called Peggy.
She became knowledgeable as a rider, owner and breeder of horses and her passion for them was evident at race meetings, which included the Derby at Epsom and Royal Ascot.
On 18 June 1954, her horse Landau won the Rous Memorial Stakes and a stallion called Aureole won the Hardwicke Stakes.
In 1957, the Queen had four winners during Ascot week, and she became the first reigning monarch to have won Royal Ascot’s Gold Cup with her thoroughbred Estimate in 2013.
Her horse Highclere won the Prix de Diane at Chantilly in 1975.
The Queen was involved in ensuring the survival of a number of rare breeds of horses and ponies through the breeding programmes in both her private yards and the working yards which bred horses used for royal and state occasions.
She championed breeds including Highland Ponies, Fell Ponies and Cleveland Bays.
Comedy writer Bill Dare, – who worked on shows including Spitting Image and Dead Ringers – has died after an accident overseas, his agent said.
Described as a “super producer” by his peers, Dare, 64, worked on eight series of hugely popular satire puppet show Spitting Image.
Airing on ITV during the 1980s and 1990s, the show delighted in lampooning public figures including politicians, celebrities and royalty, winning BAFTAs and Emmys. It was rebooted in 2020.
Dare also created Dead Ringers, a comedy impressions show broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
He also produced The Now Show, a satirical take on the news which ran on Radio 4 from 1998 to 2024.
Dare worked on a wide range of comedy shows during his career, including the radio production of The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He had also written several novels.
In a statement released on Monday, his agent JFL Agency confirmed he died at the weekend.
A spokesperson said: “We are shocked and greatly saddened to have to announce the death of our brilliant client Bill Dare, who died at the weekend following an accident overseas.
“Our thoughts are with his wife Lucy, daughter Rebecca, and with all of Bill’s family and friends who will be devastated by his loss.
“Bill was a truly legendary producer and writer, and his comedy instincts were second to none.”
Image: Oasis depicted on Spitting Image in 1996. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Colleagues were quick to pay tribute and reflect on his talent.
Impressionist Jon Culshaw wrote on X: “It’s impossible to express the unreal sense of loss at the passing of the incredible Bill Dare. The wisest comedy alchemist and the dearest, dearest friend. Much love to Lucy and all Bill’s family and friends. We shall all miss him more than we can say.”
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David Baddiel posted on the social media platform: “Just heard that the original producer of The Mary Whitehouse Experience on radio, Bill Dare, has died. Bill was an amazing creative force. I owe him much. RIP.”
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Former EastEnders actress Tracy-Ann Oberman said she was “devastated” and that her “entire comedy career was down to Bill”.
She wrote: “When I was on the BBC Radio 4 rep company early on in career – I ran into Bill in the corridors – He asked if I was good at accents. I said yes.
“He cast me in a sketch show. I had to do about 15 different accents. We recorded in front of a live audience at Broadcasting House – afterwards Bill said ‘Why have I never met you – you’re going to have a big career’.
“He was incredibly loyal and supportive and really opened a path for me into the R4 comedy world and then TV having come out of the RSC and theatre it was all new. I will always be grateful. Fly high Bill.”
Comedian and writer Mark Steel wrote: “This is so grim. Bill was a compassionate hearty soul with the ability to be beautifully grumpy, a marvellously thoughtful comic mind.
“He’d argue but always listen and you’d always laugh, he made a million shows and wanted them all to matter and would have made a million more.”
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Have I Got News for You writer Pete Sinclair said: “I am utterly devastated by Bill’s death. I still can’t believe it. He was a comedy genius. A hugely talented writer as well as a brilliant producer. A close friend and co-writer. I cannot begin to say how much I’ll miss him.”
Julia McKenzie, comedy commissioner for Radio 4, said: “I am so terribly sorry to hear this tragic news and my thoughts are with Bill’s wife, family and friends.
“Bill has been a huge part of Radio 4 comedy for decades, as a writer and producer, and listeners will have heard his legendary name at the end of many of their favourite shows.
“Bill was a comedy obsessive, and very instinctive about making the funniest choices when it came to writing, directing and editing.
“He cared so much about his work that in the production booth during Dead Ringers you’d see him crouched over the script, utterly focused on the show.
“He was funny and very dry in person, amusingly cynical when he needed to be and always pushed to keep the comedy he made, and particularly satire, spiky.
“I’ve known and worked with him for 18 years and like many I can’t believe he has gone, he will leave a big hole in the comedy world and in our hearts.”
An ex-prison officer who boasted about performing a sex act on an inmate who “manipulated” her has been jailed.
Mother-of-one Katie Evans, 26, burst into tears in court as the judge described how she was “corrupted” by an “experienced criminal” not long after she started work at Doncaster Prison when she was just 21.
As well as starting an intimate relationship with the prisoner, Daniel Brownley, Evans had more than 140 phone calls with him, moved money around bank accounts for him, and supplied him with information the prison held on him, the court heard.
Brownley had been jailed in 2016 for attempted robbery, burglary and handling stolen goods, the court heard.
“It appears you indulged in some form of sexual activity in the prison. It has been described that on one occasion you had oral sex with him,” Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Evans at Sheffield Crown Court.
“It is truly a terrible situation for a judge to be passing sentence on a former prison officer who has been branded a corrupt prison officer.”
Judge Richardson told Evans “he corrupted you and not the reverse”, adding: “I’m entirely satisfied you were manipulated by an experienced criminal to assist him.”
He said Evans was “young and immature” at the time but added: “Your misconduct materially affected the good order and discipline of the prison.”
“You were inexperienced and immature but that is, however, no excuse for what you did.”
Judge Richardson said the sentence of 21 months should have been longer but, “purely as an act of mercy”, he reduced it to take into account the effect it will have on Evans’ relationship with her young daughter and the difficulties she will have in prison as a former officer.
Evans, of Hatfield, Doncaster, admitted misconduct in a public office at a previous hearing.
Still crying, she waved at family members in the public gallery as she was led from the dock.