Remembering the time that the Queen was overjoyed by a herd of cows

The world is paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who has died at the age of 96.

She marked 70 years on the throne in 2022, becoming the first British sovereign to reach the incredible milestone. She saw a great deal in that time, seen a whole raft of Prime Ministers into office and overseen huge changes in society.

With all the things she lived through, and all of the places she’d been on official visits, there was one moment in particular from all of her public appearances that sparked the most joyous reaction – and became a big talking point back in 2016.

But what was it that inspired the best reaction from the Queen we've ever seen? Was it an awe-inspiring performance, or witnessing the eyes of the world on the UK for the 2012 Olympics, perhaps?

No, it was a herd of cows.

The Queen Loves Cows | wisGEMSITV

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In one of the most wholesome clips the internet has seen over recent tears, the Queen couldn’t hide her delight after seeing cattle being paraded as part of The Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration.

While she looked relatively unmoved throughout large parts of the event hosted by Ant and Dec, the moment she saw some Jersey and Red Sussex cows in the arena left her overjoyed.

She lit up after seeing them brought before her, and let out a shriek of delight, turning to the late Prince Phillip to share her excitement.

It’s our favourite clip of the Queen on the internet – and the one we’re choosing to celebrate her by rewatching.

Perhaps we shouldn’t have been so surprised about her reaction – she was after all a great lover of animals.

The Queen couldn't contain her excitementITV

In fact, she was a keen breeder of cows herself, and actually had the biggest herd of Sussex cows in the world at her Windsor estate.

They must be the most pampered cows in the world, too, after it was revealed a few years ago that the cattle sleep on waterbeds.

The revelation came from an episode of Countryfile, which also focused on her love for horses and Corgis.

It comes after the news of the Queen's death was announced at 6.30pm on Thursday.

Prince Charles becomes King, and he released a statement saying, in part: "The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother."

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