Queen Elizabeth II has her favourites among her great-grandchildren

Queen Elizabeth II is said to have her favourites among her great-grandchildren and one happens to be Princess Charlotte, because of their shared love for horses.

Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, said that the 95-year-old British monarch adores her grandchildren and great-grandkids. But she is not opposed to playing favourites too. While her husband, the late Prince Philip adored babies, she prefers toddlers.

"The Queen has always preferred being around children when they are a bit older, especially if it involves teaching them to sit astride a horse," Seward said of her observations into the royal's relationship with the kids in an article for The Sun.

"Princess Charlotte – who is pony-mad – has always been a favourite," she added.

Charlotte's mother, Kate Middleton, previously revealed that Queen Elizabeth II "was really thrilled" when she learned that she and Prince William were having a girl for their second child.

"As soon as we came back [from hospital] she was one of our first visitors. I think she is very fond of Charlotte, always watching what she's up to," the Duchess of Cambridge revealed as she shared that Her Majesty "enjoys making the children feel special, too."

"She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay and that just shows her love for her family," Kate Middleton added.

But the queen is close with all of her great-grandkids, who lovingly call her Gan-Gan. Seward noted that she would always mention "them in her Christmas speeches, in her letters, and in conversation.

"In fact, her family of eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren is what keeps her going," she said.

Princess Charlotte, much like her Gan-Gan, started young in her horse riding training. While the queen started at three years old when she got her first pony from her grandfather, the princess began riding at 17 months old. The monarch is said to be keen on the children's progress on the saddle.

Charlotte, her older brother Prince George, and the youngest of the siblings, Prince Louis, are expected to join Queen Elizabeth II on rides around Windsor Castle and around Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland during the summer holiday.