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In 1978, Queen Elizabeth II expressed her desire for two coach horses in a detailed wish list. She specified that she wanted one Holsteiner, around 17hh in height, with a coat that was “under no circumstances too dark”, and another that was grey in complexion but “not too dirty”. Surprisingly, these details were published by Spiegel magazine.
Walter Scheel, the German President at the time, agreed to give the Queen the two prize horses to make her visit as comfortable as possible. However, a German civil servant described the price as “excessive”, and Germany’s auditing office had “serious reservations”. The horses cost the equivalent of £52,800 in today’s money, making it the largest amount ever given to a foreign dignitary by the Bonn republic.
One of the horses was to be used to pull the Queen’s carriage, while the other was for Prince Philip to compete in carriage driving events. The Queen was well-known for her love of horses and horse racing, often attending the Epsom Derby. It was not just horses that the Queen had in mind during her visit to Germany.
In 1992, Spiegel published the record of the Queen’s plans, which included her desire to speak in front of the German parliament, a first for a monarch in the republic. However, Helmut Kohl, the German Chancellor at the time, blocked the plan after a civil servant informed him. It seems that the Queen’s love of horses and her desire to make history went hand in hand during her time in Germany.
The love of horses runs in the royal family, as demonstrated by the Queen’s request and as discussed by broadcaster Clare Balding in September 2022. The current King is set to travel to Germany soon, where he will make history as the first monarch to speak inside the German parliament. It seems that even in today’s world, horses remain a beloved pastime and an important symbol of tradition and heritage.
