Royal Pets: Her Majesty’s Yacht and its Occupants
HMY Victoria and Albert II served as the official yacht of the Sovereign from 1855 until 1904. The vessel was used exclusively by the Royal Family and was operated and maintained by The Royal Navy. Queen Victoria and her family very much enjoyed having pets around as did King Edward VII. Here, we see evidence that the Royal pets didn’t stay at home when their masters went yachting.
In the first image, a crewmember who has been identified as a Lieutenant Watson patiently allows a Persian cat to perch atop his head. Someone on the right is pointing to the spectacle with much amusement. The image is listed as being taken in 1905, probably by Princess Victoria of Wales. I think the date is approximate. If the photo was, in fact, taken on HMY Victoria and Albert II, the date would have to have been prior to 1904.
Similarly, in this next photo, we see the same cat about to have a bit of a tussle with a scrappy terrier known as Mac. We can only hope that any quarrels these two might have had were resolved so that they could be good shipmates.
No comments:
Post a Comment