RCMP News Service 

Ottawa, ON, March 11, 2023 — In recognition of the RCMP’s 150th anniversary and the upcoming coronation of His Majesty King Charles III in May, the RCMP is pleased to announce that RCMP Musical Ride horse Noble will be presented to His Majesty King Charles III. Details about the ceremony will be released at a later date. 

The King has shared a personal connection to the RCMP as our Honorary Commissioner since 2012. More recently, The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort visited the Musical Ride in May 2022 during the Royal Tour of Canada for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, where they met with the horses and riders of the Musical Ride, toured the facilities, and took in a special performance from this truly Canadian spectacle. 

His Majesty personally requested a horse from the Musical Ride to eventually be his new charger horse (ridden for Trooping the Colour parades) when his current horse, George, retires. George was presented to Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 and has been The King’s charger horse since that year. 

“The RCMP has had the honour of enjoying a strong, personal relationship with the Royal Family for over a century. As we mark our organization’s 150th anniversary this year, and look ahead to the coronation of our new monarch in the spring, it seems only fitting that we mark these dual milestones with the gift of Noble to His Majesty King Charles III this year,” says RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki 

“I speak on behalf of the entire Musical Ride when I say that it was an incredible honour to receive a request for a Musical Ride horse from His Majesty King Charles III. The RCMP and the Musical Ride have shared many special moments with Queen Elizabeth II during her reign through the mutual gifting and receiving of horses, and it’s truly humbling to be able to continue these traditions with our new monarch in the first year of his reign,” says Superintendent Kevin Fahey, Officer in Charge of the Musical Ride and Heritage Branch, RCMP. 

Quick Facts 

• The relationship between the RCMP and the Royal Family dates back to 1897, when a contingent of the North-West Mounted Police paraded in Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee procession in London. 
• The more formal relationship traces back to 1904, when King Edward VII awarded the title of Royal to the North-West Mounted Police in recognition of 30 years of service to Canada and the Empire. This was the official birth of the Royal North-West Mounted Police. 
• Since then, the organization — the Musical Ride, in particular — has shared a special bond with the Royal Family. 
• The RCMP has had a direct and personal link to The King as our Honorary Commissioner since 2012. 
• The RCMP also shared a particularly special and personal relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, our former Commissioner-in-Chief, throughout her reign. This special bond was celebrated through the mutual giving and receiving of horses as gifts, which began in 1969 with Burmese. 
• During her reign, the RCMP presented her with eight horses in total: Burmese (1969), Centennial (1973), James (1998), George (2009), Elizabeth (2012), Sir John (2016), and Kluane and Darby (2019). 
• All horses gifted to Queen Elizabeth II were bred, born, and raised at the RCMP Breeding Farm and trained by the RCMP, with the exception of Burmese who was born and bred at the Fort Walsh Remount Branch. 
• Three horses are currently in use as charger horses for the Royal Family: George (for The King), Sir John (for Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal), and Darby (for The Prince of Wales last year, and The Duke of York prior). 

Related: The Queen's Legacy - A Passion for Horses

Main Photo: His Majesty King Charles III greets the seven-year-old mare, Noble, as she settles into life at the Royal Mews in Windsor, England. Credit: Buckingham Palace