For a family famous for their love of all things equestrian, there is one particular pony breed that really don’t seem to have much time for the Windsors.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle became the latest victim of horseplay today, when they arrived in Edinburgh this morning and found themselves almost upstaged by an animated Shetland pony called Cruachan IV.
The jet-black breed, nine, offered an over-familiar welcome to the soon-to-be-wed couple, with Harry forced to hold out his hands in defence at one point.
After some nervous laughter as they awaited the animal’s next move, the prince eventually he managed to stroke the decorated horse’s nose.
Don’t start! Decorated Shetland pony Cruachan IV may have been wearing the same tartan as Meghan Markle but he wasn’t in the mood for fun
Prince Harry looked a little nervous in the presence of the highland breed, who appeared to be a little agitated
Meghan laughs as Prince Harry eventually manages to stroke Cruachan IV
I don’t care who you are, I’m hungry! Cruachan IV, the mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, felt the wrath of the Queen last summer after he dared to eat her posy during a tour of Stirling Castle
An offer from the Queen to pat the animal’s nose got short shrift, as Cruachan IV’s minder keeps him on a tight leash
Cruachan IV, has form when it comes to accosting royals.
The pony, who is the mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, was part of the guard of honour who greeted the Queen as she arrived to mark her 70th anniversary as Colonel-in-Chief of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
On camera, the pony’s minder could be heard saying be ‘gentle’ as Her Majesty extended her gloved hand towards him.
However, the decorated animal was having none of it and promptly found the pretty bouquet of flowers the Queen was holding as a light snack.
Quit the horseplay! When the Queen spotted what the pony was up to, she told the decorated animal to ‘go away’
The Queen, who has a lifelong love of horses, swiftly pulled the blooms behind her back before saying to the pony’s minder: ‘They always try to eat the flowers’.
The 91-year-old monarch was filmed telling Cruachan IV the Shetland pony to ‘go away’ when he tried to take a bite out of her posy during a visit to Stirling Castle last summer.
And Camilla was also caught unawares, albeit by a different horse, when she visited an equestrian centre in Brixton, South London in February last year.
Upstaged by a miniature pony! The Duchess of Cornwall found herself playing second fiddle to a white breed during a trip to a South London equestrian centre in 2017
The gathered photographers had a field day as the pony edged ever closer to the royal derriere
Eventually Camilla picked up on the four-legged imposter – and dished out a few choice words
Peace finally reigned after Camilla gingerly extended a hand towards the pony
This time it was a white miniature pony that decided to get playful in the presence of royalty.
With Camilla dressed in an eye-catching coat, the Duchess was upstaged by the pony as she posed for the press.
The mischievous animal nudged up against the royal – and eventually caught her attention. Camilla then turned around swiftly and appeared to chastise the animal.