Royal rocking horses

Two-year-old Prince George, the son of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was photographed on 22 April 2016 sitting on a hand-made rocking horse. The rocking horse was a gift to Prince George from the People of America in 2013 when he was born on 22 July.

The artisanal rocking horse has the presidential seal imprinted on the saddle. The White House (the State Department) contacted rocking horse maker, Jackie Wilson, to create George’s rocking horse. It is a glider design (safety stand) with an English-style saddle. The glider is actually an American patent. P.W. Marqua of Cincinnati, Ohio, invented it in 1880, but it is commonly known as the Wilson glider.

In the royal family there is a stable of rocking horses owned by various members of the family. Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret, had rocking horses when they were children, including the one below, which was exhibited at Buckingham Palace in 2014.

Twin brothers, Marc and Tony Stevenson, established a rocking horse business in England in 1982 in Kent. The Queen owns five Stevenson rocking horses. The Stevenson models were presented to the Queen for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees (photographed below).

President of the United States, Barack Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama were visiting England on 21-23 April 2016 to commemorate the 90th birthday of the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, on 21 April. The Obamas also met Prince William, Catherine, and George, while Charlotte – their daughter – was asleep. Prince George was photographed on his birthday present, the rocking horse.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markewing/2015/06/29/rocking-horses-for-royals-8000-toy-ponies-for-prince-george-queen-elizabeth-and-president-obama/#28ef1a52621e

MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog