Royal Welsh appoints new regimental goat Fusilier Llywelyn

There is a new kid on the block within the Royal Welsh Regiment as the 1st Battalion has appointed a new regimental goat.

Fusilier Llywelyn was selected from the Royal herd on Llandudno's Great Orme and has been prepared for Army life.

He will live at the regiment's base at Lucknow Barracks, Wiltshire, and will accompany them on ceremonial duties.

His appointment follows the death of the 2nd Battalion's L/Cpl Gwillam 'Taffy VI' Jenkins in May last year.

Taffy died in May last year

Fusilier Llywelyn has completed basic training under Goat Major Fusilier Matthew Owen, from Anglesey, and his first duty will be to lead a parade at an event to commemorate the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift.

The regiment said he was chosen following an "arduous survey" of the wild herd and he had stood out after demonstrating "more promise than the others".

His daily routine will see him exercised by the Goat Major and inspected to check cleanliness and wellbeing.

Along with his regimental duties, he has been invited to parade in London for the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations and will also spend the summer with B (Rorke's Drift) Company as part of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

The Royal goat tradition began in 1844 when Queen Victoria presented the Royal Welch Fusiliers with its first one, but it is believed the animals have been part of parades since the 1700s.

Llywelyn's accommodation at the barracks includes a paddock, sleeping area, sofa and radio