A pair of horses gifted by Abdullah I of Jordan to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, 1946
The photo below comes from the Imperial War Museum’s Ministry of Information Second World War Collection.
The description from the Imperial War Museum’s page reads as follows:
CONTINGENT ARRIVES IN ENGLAND FOR VICTORY PARADE, LIVERPOOL, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND, UK, 1946 (D 27677) Sergeant Major Mahmoud Zahaire of the Trans Jordan Frontier Forces tends to the two horses he was tasked with bringing to England on the deck of the ORBITA. The horses are a gift from the Palace of Prince Amir Abdullah for the Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth. A colleague from the Trans Jordan Frontier Forces helps to feed the horses. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205202314
I wonder if they are Arabian
Would guess that as a gift between royalty, the likelihood of the horses being Arabians increases, but it remains possible that they aren’t. There’s probably a newspaper article out there that would give more information, hopefully digitised and accessible in an archive.
Ok, yes, the Dundee Evening Telegraph, Monday 6 May 1946, wrote: “Accompanying the Palestine contingent for the Victory Parade in London are two horses —chestnuts of pure Arab stock —as a present from the Emir Abdullah of Trans- Jordan to Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.” I’d have to subscribe to the British Newspaper Archive to read the rest of the article, though, and as it is 47 words, I’m not sure it’s worth it right now.
ok this is useful. I wonder if the horses are from the TJFF.