One of the most moving moments of Queen Elizabeth's funeral was when her beloved Fell pony, Emma, stood by and watched the late monarch's casket enter the gates of Windsor Castle.
Two years after her Sept. 8, 2022 death, the man who held Emma's reins is revealing some heartwarming moments from his royal career — including a story highlighting Queen Elizabeth II's famous sense of humor.
Terry Pendry, Queen Elizabeth's stud groom for more than 25 years, shared his incredible royal journey with British broadcaster Gyles Brandreth on his "Rosebud" podcast Friday, Sept. 6
Despite being 96 years old, Queen Elizabeth was still riding the summer before she died, with Pendry revealing a hilarious encounter that happened after her "very last riding day" on July 18, 2022.
"I walked, I was on my feet," the groom — who typically rode next to the late monarch on another pony — said, adding The Queen told him, "This hasn't happened to me since I was a princess."
When Pendry asked what she meant, she replied, "Someone walking alongside me like this."
He then took a picture of the royal, despite her initial hesitation, noting, "Your pony's 26, you're 96, that has to be a record."
Pendry then took the photo to Queen Elizabeth to paste into her scrapbook, but the following day, she stopped by to see her trusted groom and Emma one last time (and deliver a quick telling-off).
"She just looked at me and said, 'You were very rude to me yesterday,'" Pendry told the podcast.
"I said, 'Your Majesty, I'm awfully sorry, but what do you mean, rude?'" the groom recalled, adding that he told Queen Elizabeth he apologized "profusely" if he was and that "it wouldn't have been intentional."
When Pendry asked if it was something he'd said, she replied "Yes, it was," finally revealing, "You said my age!" before bursting "into fits of laughter."
"That was just her," Pendry said. "That's the last time I ever saw her."
"I had an inkling that was probably the last time I was going to see her," Pendry said, noting "she was getting lighter and lighter, frailer and frailer."
When it came to the funeral, Pendry shared that he hadn't told anyone his plan to bring Emma down to watch the procession for fear they'd stop him.
He did, however, ask Queen Elizabeth's right-hand-woman, Angela Kelly, for a special favor, requesting one of her beloved Hermès headscarves to place on the saddle.
At the end of the day, Pendry said, "It was my humble duty, my honor, my privilege to serve the most remarkable lady in the world," adding, "every medal I have on my chest I would throw away, I would give them away to have just one more day with her."
