Horse hit by car in Essex gives birth to healthy foal with name fit for royalty at Norfolk charity

A horse who was hit by a car while pregnant has given birth to a healthy foal - which has been given a name fit for a royal.The bay mare, whom staff had named Majesty in honour of the Queen's Jubilee Year, was taken in by an animal charity with with a broken nose and chest injuries after being hit by a car in Essex in November.

She was found stuck in some railings on the central reservation at Tilbury Docks when the emergency services arrived and eventually went to Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Norfolk for rehabilitation.

Staff at the rescue centre said Majesty had made a miraculous recovery and revealed she had now given birth to a "not-so-little" boy named Monarch - keeping the royal theme in the family in the week that the Queen enjoyed her own birthday in the same county.

Nicola Berryman, the veterinary surgeon who is caring for the pair at Redwings, said: "Monarch was born in the early hours of Thursday, April 7. We don’t know who the father is but it’s clear he was a big horse as Monarch is huge.

"Majesty and baby Monarch had a tricky start when he came into the world  – they had some initial problems with him feeding but foal and mum are in good health and are now doing well.

"Given all poor Majesty has been through, and the interest in Majesty’s story, we are absolutely thrilled to be able to share this news with our supporters."

Jo Franklin, Redwings senior field officer, said: "The awful injuries Majesty sustained mean that, understandably, she’s quite head shy when having a headcollar put on and will need ongoing support from our specialist behaviour team.

“We’re so glad we were able to offer her a home in Sanctuary here at Redwings, and of course her new foal Monarch.”