A photo of the Queen feeding an elephant has been unearthed and it's the best thing we've seen all week

The Queen's love of animals has been well established over the years...

Queen Elizabeth II attends an Armed Forces Act of Loyalty Parade
(Image credit: Photo by Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The Queen's love of animals extends to creatures great and small and it is well established that she is a huge fan of corgis, ponies, horses - and even elephants!


August 12 is World Elephant Day, a day that is entirely dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants. For the Queen, this is a charitable cause that she has supported in the past and has even attended royal engagements that are dedicated to the preservation of certain species of elephants. 

In April 2017, the Queen and Prince Philip met an Asian elephant in Dunstable. The seven-year-old elephant named Donna seemed to be a fan of the Queen and her husband and allowed the royal couple to feed her bananas. 

The royal couple was visiting the ZSL Whipsnade Zoo to open the Center for Elephant care which became the home to nine Asian elephants and maintained the wellbeing and preservation of these animals. 

Queen

(Image credit: Karwai Tang / Contributor / Getty Images)

These adorable photographs of Her Majesty demonstrate the Queen's natural knack with animals. While some might be frightened by such a large animal, the Queen seemed delighted and fed Donna the elephant a banana and let her wrap her trunk around the Queen's outstretched hand. 

Queen

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo / Contributor/ Getty Images)

Previously, the Queen has even been spotted riding on the back of an elephant while on a royal tour. In 1961, the Queen was photographed sitting ontop of a very highly decorated Indian elephant in Benares. 

This photograph was snapped in January 1961 during her royal tour of India, just nine years after the Queen's coronation in 1952.

Queen

(Image credit: Hulton Archive / Stringer / Getty Images)

The Queen's love of animals also famously extends to her pet dogs. The Queen's corgis have become part of the Queen's identity and fans love the adorable names that Her Majesty has given her adorable furry sidekicks. 

The Queen is also an avid horse rider and fan of horses and ponies. Despite being 96, earlier in the year in June 2022, the Queen was seen ‘riding her horse again’ at Windsor, an action that many saw as a ‘remarkable’ health update for the aging monarch.

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.