The Lory

Queen Victoria’s pet parrot was given to her in 1836 by her uncle Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. She called the parrot Lory. Lory features in another painting by Landseer, alongside three of the favourite Royal dogs. Lory was not Queen Victoria’s first pet parrot, nor would he be her last. Queen Victoria had previously owned a blue and green Brazilian parrot called Pedro and would go on to have several highly trained grey parrots, who entertained her by speaking French, making jokes and even toasting her good health.