William Windsor
William Windsor I, commonly called Billy, was a Kashmir goat who served as the ceremonial regimental goat of the British Army's Royal Welsh from 2001 to 2009.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
William Windsor I, known informally as Billy, was a Kashmir goat associated with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Welsh, formerly the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He was not a commercial brand or a conventional corporate entity, but a ceremonial military animal whose name and rank formed part of a longstanding regimental tradition. Presented to the regiment by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001, he was assigned an army number and served as a lance corporal, participating in formal parades and other public ceremonial duties. The Royal Welsh connection with goats reflects a tradition that reaches back to the eighteenth century. Regimental history links the practice to a wild goat that appeared during the American Revolutionary War and was associated with Welsh troops after the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. The British monarchy later maintained a herd of Kashmir goats at Great Orme in Llandudno, North Wales. Since the nineteenth century, goats from the royal herd had been presented to Welsh regiments, creating an unusual but continuous military custom. Billy was born at Whipsnade Zoo and descended from the same royal bloodline as the Kashmir goats associated with the regiment. His main responsibility was to march at the head of the battalion during ceremonial occasions. Contemporary descriptions emphasized that he was treated as a ranking member of the regiment rather than merely as a mascot. His full-time handler held the traditional title of Goat Major, and Billy took part in overseas service and appearances before royalty. His best-known episode occurred during a Queen's 80th birthday parade at Episkopi, Cyprus, on 16 June 2006. Billy failed to maintain formation, resisted the orders of his handler, and attempted to headbutt a drummer. After a disciplinary hearing, he was temporarily reduced from lance corporal to fusilier for what the army characterized as unacceptable behaviour, lack of decorum, and disobedience. The episode attracted international media attention and a protest from an animal-rights organization. Billy regained his lance corporal rank at the Alma Day parade on 20 September 2006 after performing satisfactorily during the intervening period. Billy retired on 20 May 2009 after approximately eight years of service. He returned to Whipsnade Zoo, where he lived at the zoo's farm attraction. The regiment subsequently selected a young goat from the Great Orme herd as his successor. That animal was also given the name William Windsor, creating the designation William Windsor II and continuing the regimental tradition. Accordingly, the name refers both to Billy's individual service record and to a recurring ceremonial title used by the Royal Welsh.
History
The Royal Welsh tradition of maintaining a regimental goat is associated with a much older history of Welsh military service. One origin story places the beginning of the custom in 1775, when a wild goat appeared on the battlefield during the American Revolutionary War and was later linked with Welsh troops. A later example was Taffy IV, the regimental goat of the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment, during the First World War. Taffy embarked for the war in August 1914, was present during several major engagements, and died in January 1915. He was subsequently recognized with the 1914 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal. The royal Kashmir goat herd connected with the modern tradition was presented to Queen Victoria by Mohammad Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia, in 1837. The herd was maintained at Great Orme near Llandudno, and members of the herd were presented by the Crown to Welsh military units. The goats became associated with the Royal Welch Fusiliers and, following later army reorganizations, the Royal Welsh. Their ceremonial role made them unusual institutional symbols: the goat was assigned a military number, had a designated handler called the Goat Major, and appeared at the front of the battalion during formal parades. By the early twenty-first century, the Great Orme herd had grown substantially, creating pressure on its food supply and generating complaints about goats entering gardens. Local authorities rejected a cull and instead used relocation and fertility control. Some nanny goats were tranquillized and fitted with progesterone implants, while others were moved to locations elsewhere in Britain. Efforts to manage the herd were later affected by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. These conservation and population-management issues formed part of the background to the selection of future regimental goats. William Windsor I was born at Whipsnade Zoo and descended from the same royal line as the Great Orme Kashmir goats, although he was not captured from the feral herd. Queen Elizabeth II presented him to the Royal Welsh in 2001. He received army number 25232301 and was treated as a formal member of the regiment. His regular role was to lead the battalion on ceremonial duties, including parades and occasions involving royalty. He also accompanied the regiment during overseas deployment, with a human Goat Major responsible for his care and discipline. Billy's most publicized incident occurred in Cyprus in June 2006. During a parade held at Episkopi to mark Queen Elizabeth II's eightieth birthday, he would not keep step, failed to remain in formation, and attempted to headbutt a drummer. His handler could not bring him under control. The military treated the matter as a disciplinary offense and charged him with unacceptable behaviour, insufficient decorum, and disobeying a direct order. His commanding officer reduced him from lance corporal to fusilier. The demotion prompted humorous coverage and a protest from a Canadian animal-rights group, which argued that the goat should not be punished for natural behaviour. Billy returned to his former rank at the Alma Day parade on 20 September 2006. The restoration followed a period in which he was expected to demonstrate improved conduct, and the regiment stated that he had earned the rank again. The promotion also restored his access to the corporals' mess. His case became one of the best-known examples of the ceremonial goat's treatment as a quasi-military participant. On 20 May 2009, William Windsor retired after roughly eight years of service. He moved to Whipsnade Zoo and spent his retirement at the zoo's farm facility. The Royal Welsh then organized a search for a replacement from the Great Orme herd. A military and veterinary team selected a five-month-old goat, assigned it a new army number, and gave it the continuing name William Windsor. The successor began as a fusilier while being trained for ceremonial duties, thereby extending rather than ending the regimental custom.
- 2009
Retirement to Whipsnade Zoo
[1]William Windsor I retired because of age and returned to Whipsnade Zoo.
- 2009
William Windsor II is selected
[1]The Royal Welsh selected a young Great Orme goat to continue the name and ceremonial role.
- 2006
Temporary demotion in Cyprus
[1]Billy was demoted to fusilier after disruptive conduct at the Queen's birthday parade in Episkopi, Cyprus.
- 2006
Rank restored at Alma Day
[1]The regiment restored Billy to lance corporal during the Alma Day parade after he completed a period of improved conduct.
- 2001
William Windsor I joins the Royal Welsh
[1]Queen Elizabeth II presented the Whipsnade-born Kashmir goat to the regiment, where he became a lance corporal and ceremonial leader.
- 1914
Taffy IV serves with the Welsh Regiment
[1]Taffy IV accompanied the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment, during the First World War and was later honored with campaign medals.
- 1837
Kashmir goats presented to Queen Victoria
[1]Mohammad Shah Qajar presented goats to Queen Victoria, establishing the royal herd from which later regimental goats were descended.
- 1775
Traditional origin associated with the American Revolutionary War
[1]Regimental accounts trace the Welsh military goat tradition to a wild goat associated with Welsh troops during the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Products and positioning
A ceremonial military identity and regimental tradition rather than a consumer brand. William Windsor represented the Royal Welsh's historic association with the British monarchy, Welsh military heritage, and the use of an officially ranked goat in public ceremony.
Military ceremonial tradition · 2001
William Windsor I ceremonial regimental service
William Windsor's principal institutional role was to serve as the ceremonial goat of the Royal Welsh. He led the battalion during formal parades, appeared at regimental events, and represented a historic connection between the Crown, Welsh military identity, and the royal Kashmir goat herd. His army number, rank, handler, and participation in overseas duties reflected the regiment's practice of treating the goat as a formal member rather than simply an ornamental mascot.
Regimental successor · 2009
William Windsor II
William Windsor II was the young goat selected in 2009 to succeed Billy. He received the same ceremonial name and an army number connected with the regiment's historical designations. The successor initially held the rank of fusilier while being trained for military ceremonial duties, preserving the office-like continuity of the Royal Welsh's regimental goat tradition.
Controversies
2006
Cyprus parade demotion
At a Queen's birthday parade in Cyprus, William Windsor failed to keep step and attempted to headbutt a drummer. A disciplinary hearing found his conduct unacceptable and reduced him from lance corporal to fusilier. The demotion was widely reported as an unusual military disciplinary case and generated an animal-rights protest.
Brand decisions
2009
Retirement and successionStrategyBackground
William Windsor retired after approximately eight years of service because of his age.
Action taken
The Royal Welsh moved him to Whipsnade Zoo and selected a young goat from the Great Orme herd as his successor.
Aftermath
The successor adopted the name William Windsor II, allowing the regimental goat tradition to continue.
2006
Temporary reduction in rankOtherBackground
William Windsor disrupted the Queen's 80th birthday parade at Episkopi, Cyprus, by refusing to remain in step and trying to butt a drummer.
Action taken
The commanding officer reduced him from lance corporal to fusilier following a disciplinary hearing.
Aftermath
After roughly three months and a satisfactory subsequent performance, Billy regained his former rank at the Alma Day parade and returned to the corporals' mess.
Sources1 sources
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