King Charles reunites with naughty pony who once got told off by the late Queen

After keeping busy with numerous engagements across Scotland this month, King Charles has now officially retreated from the limelight for his annual summer break in the Highlands. 

Charles arrived at Balmoral Castle, the “uniquely special” royal residence where he unwinds each year, on Tuesday. But before he made it through the gates, the monarch once again came face-to-face with the Royal Regiment of Scotland’s famously cheeky mascot, a Shetland pony named Corporal Cruachan IV, who was previously told off by Queen Elizabeth II. 

A year after his last encounter with the mascot at Balmoral, Charles reunited with the 17-year-old pony, who has become somewhat known for his naughty antics, during an inspection of the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

The royal, dressed in a traditional kilt for the occasion, was pictured stroking the pony’s nose. While the mascot appeared to be on his best behaviour in photos, a video posted by the BBC captured the moment the Shetland pony briefly broke composure and tried to bite Charles’ hand. Charles quickly snatched back his hand before the pony could nip him. 

Cheeky encounter with the Queen

© Alamy Stock Photo

Charles’ late mother had numerous encounters with the pony over the years – including one time when he tried to nimble a bunch of flowers the royal was carrying. Queen Elizabeth was met by the shetland pony when she arrived for a visit to Stirling Castle on 5 July, 2017. 

The mascot received a royal scolding when he tried to take a bit out of the monarch’s bouquet of posies. In a video of the moment that was shared on the Royal Family’s YouTube channel, the late Queen told the pony to “go away” and hid the flowers behind her back. “He always eats the flowers,” the royal was heard saying. But the pony’s X (formerly Twitter) account said he just “love[s] the fact Her Majesty The Queen always brings me a treat.”

© Photo: Getty Images

She reunited with the pony again a year later when she arrived at Balmoral Castle to kickstart her summer break. The Queen was welcomed to the summer residence by The Royal Regiment of Scotland’s mascot on several occasions across the years. 

Mischievous mascot

Charles’ son had an equally cheeky run-in with Cruachan IV back in February 2018 during walkabout on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle. While visiting Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with the mascot and Pony Major Mark Wilkinson. 

Harry was holding out his hand near the pony’s head when Cruachan IV tried to nibble at the Duke’s fingers. “Hey!” Harry exclaimed in response.