King Charles: Mounties present King with horse and sword

King Charles has been presented with a new royal horse and a commemorative sword from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The gifts were to mark the King's honorary appointment as commissionerin-chief of the police force. He met with Ralph Goodale, the High Commissioner for Canada in the UK, for a ceremony in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle. The meeting on Friday also coincided with the 150th anniversary of the RCMP.

The King was greeted with a royal salute from four mounted members of the RCMP, also known as Mounties, who have travelled to the UK for the coronation procession. He was presented with a seven-year-old black mare called Noble by RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme.

A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) leads 'Noble', a horse given to King Charles III by the RCMP earlier this year ahead of a ceremony in the quadrangle at Windsor

Castle Noble will take part in the coronation procession and replaces George, who was given to the late Queen in 2009, as the King's charger horse in the Trooping the Colour ceremony. She was part of The Musical Ride, a special unit of the RCMP that toured Canada performing intricate formations and drills to music.

Supt Kevin Fahey, the officer in charge of the Musical Ride, said Noble was "incredibly bold" and "very calm". He recalled when the former Prince of Wales visited the RCMP stables last year during the Royal Tour of Canada for the Platinum Jubilee. He said: "We pointed out the two horses to His Majesty, and he said: 'Oh, they're kind of tall'. "We took that as a note to say perhaps we should be looking for a horse not quite as tall. And so we set about and landed finally on Noble."

King Charles III is presented with a sword as he formally accepts the role of Commissioner-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) during a ceremony in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle The silver and black sword carries the King's Cypher and Coat of Arms. The serial number on its spine, MP 1502023, signifies the RCMP's 150th anniversary and the year of the coronation.

Queen Elizabeth II was appointed Commissioner-inChief of the RCMP to mark the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, becoming the first person to hold the title. During the coronation procession five RCMP officers will ride horses from the Royal Mews gifted by the RCMP to the royal family.

The RCMP paraded in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee procession in 1897, and has taken part in every coronation since King George V's in 1911.