Had she not been destined for the throne, the Queen would have liked nothing better than "to be a lady living on the country with lots of horse and dogs", as the young Lilibet once confessed to her teacher. Indeed, some of the people closest to Her Majesty agree that she gets on best with dogs, then horses, then people.

Dogs have been some of her most stalwart companions since earliest childhood - both her corgis and her kennel of about 20 gundogs (labradors and cocker spaniels), while riding, keeping and breeding horses, and attending equestrian events, has
been another abiding passion.

Our review of the Queen's private passions includes:

Corgis and Dorgis
Horse-riding
Horse-racing
Horse-breeding
Equestrianism

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