Queen Elizabeth Had a Secret Friendship With a Californian Cowboy Not Many Know About

In British history, Queen Elizabeth II was undoubtedly the most passionate royal owner and breeder of racehorses. About 100 thoroughbreds were left to King Charles following her death in September 2022. In their first public appraisal, The Guardian estimated that the horses may sell for at least £27 million. The late queen followed “a simple philosophy” – to breed “a horse faster than other people’s”. In 1989 she developed a priceless friendship with a Californian rancher who taught her the proper methods for training a horse. Because of her admiration, Her Majesty called one of her corgis Monty Roberts, after the well-known 'horse whisperer'.

"I started all of her horses and I trained her people and her horses. It was a fantastic relationship — as close as it could possibly be,” Roberts exclusively told People. Following Queen Elizabeth's discovery of Roberts' methods, the two became close because of their shared passion for animals and their wish to see horses trained more humanely. "The world thought you had to break horses, and the Queen didn’t think that," he explained while promoting the documentary The Cowboy and the Queen. 

The feature explores the remarkable bond between the two horse enthusiasts, who were both greatly impacted by the Second World War despite originating from very different backgrounds. As a sign of their everlasting friendship, Roberts was invited to the last, very poignant moment of her funeral in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The horse whisperer recalled accepting the monarch's invitation and landing at the royal palace to train her horses. He claimed that in less than half an hour, the Queen's first horse, which he was requested to saddle and teach, was prepared to take a rider. 

The stunt rider alleged that many people would not have heard of him or altered their training methods if it weren't for Her Majesty's encouragement. “One is a monarch and a very old version of monarchy that doesn’t quite exist anymore. The other is a cowboy in that very American sense of independence," the director of the documentary, Andrea Nevins said. She added, "But they came together in a very different way, a very modern way where they used very feminine ways of looking at the world than might have otherwise been accessible to them.” 

In the latter years of their friendship, Roberts expanded his techniques to assist those with mental health issues, particularly PTSD-affected veterans, much to the Queen's admiration. According to UK Express, the horse trainer recalled their last phone conversation and revealed that the Queen "thought she was going" to die soon. "She was on the phone and she was talking about this dreadful problem that she had that the doctors were working on at the time. It was to say goodbye. She thought she was going and she did go. It was heartbreaking for me to listen to that," Roberts said. In the 2011 New Year's Honours, he received a Member of the Victorian Order for his "services to Her Majesty's racing establishment."