Queen Elizabeth Meets Her Naughty Frenemy Again As She Returns To Scotland

Queen Elizabeth stays at Balmoral Castle in Scotland every summer, and this has been her yearly tradition. Her Majesty was supposed to visit there earlier, but it was delayed after Theresa May resigned as prime minister of the U.K. and she has to meet the new leader, Boris Johnson.

According to a tweet posted by Emily Andrews, royal correspondent for The Sun, the Queen traveled to the Scottish Highlands on July 26, and she will return to Buckingham Palace in early October. Some members of the royal family are also expected to join her at Balmoral throughout her stay.

When Queen Elizabeth arrived in Scotland, she met her frenemy once again. Her Majesty was reunited with the Shetland pony who made news many times before for being naughty when around the Queen.

This Cruachan IV pony ate her bouquet of posies during an inspection of the Royal Regiment of Scotland two years ago. And another time, he forced the monarch to cover her nose when he relieved himself in front of her. The naughtiest thing he did so far was try to bite the Queen but failed.

Although the pony is not exactly welcoming when meeting Queen Elizabeth, she was still seen joyfully greeting the pony mascot upon her arrival in Scotland. Being a lover of horses, she also patted the pony despite their “love-hate” relationship. “Here we are again,” Daily Mail quoted the Queen as saying upon seeing the animal.

The 9-year-old Shetland pony that greeted the Queen is the fourth to serve as the mascot of the Regiment. This Cruachan IV was said to be Her Majesty’s favorite. Unfortunately, he will be retiring already, as per Express. “He's done a lot of parades in his time and he was a real favorite of the Queen,” Capt. Dougie McDougall, his handler said.

The Queen is on vacation, but it will not be all play for her while she’s in the Scottish Highlands. She will continue to do some of her royal duties like reading her diplomatic papers, which are delivered to her every day. She will also take on some public engagements and hold audiences from time to time.