William Windsor ( goat ) William Windsor ( also known as Billy ) is a goat who served as a lance corporal in the 1st Battalion , the Royal Welsh , an infantry battalion of the British Army . He served as a lance corporal from 2001 until 2009 , except for a three - month period in 2006 when he was demoted to fusilier , after inappropriate behaviour during the Queen ' s Official Birthday celebrations while deployed on active duty with the battalion on Cyprus . He retired to Whipsnade Zoo in May 2009 . History . The tradition of having goats in the military originated in 1775 , when a wild goat walked onto the battlefield in Boston during the American Revolutionary War and led the Welsh regimental colours at the end of the Battle of Bunker Hill . Another Welsh military goat , Taffy IV , served in the First World War . Taffy , of 2nd Battalion , Welsh Regiment , is officially recorded as " The Regimental Goat " . He embarked for the war on 13 August 1914 and saw action in the Retreat from Mons , the First Battle of Ypres ( including the Battle of Gheluvelt ) and the Battles of Festubert and Givenchy , before dying on 20 January 1915 . He was posthumously awarded the 1914 Star , British War Medal and the Victory Medal . The royal goat herd was originally obtained from Mohammad Shah Qajar , Shah of Persia from 1834 to 1848 , when he presented them to Queen Victoria as a gift in 1837 upon her accession to the throne . The herd thrived on Llandudno ' s Great Orme ; by 2001 they reached a population of 250 , and were in danger of running out of food . Following complaints about goats wandering into people ' s gardens , the council rejected proposals for a cull , deciding to use a combination of rehoming and birth control . RSPCA marksmen tranquilised nannies and inserted contraceptive progesterone implants to control the numbers of the genetically unique breed . By 2007 , 85 goats had been relocated to areas including Kent , Yorkshire , the Brecon Beacons and Somerset , but further efforts were interrupted by an outbreak of foot - and - mouth disease . Career . Billy , a Kashmir goat , is descended from the same royal bloodline as the original herd , but was not selected from the wild population ; he was born in Whipsnade Zoo . He was presented to the regiment by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001 . The tradition is not new : since 1844 , the British monarchy has presented an unbroken series of Kashmir goats to the Royal Welch Fusiliers from the Crown ' s own royal herd . Billy — Army number 25232301 — is " not a mascot , but a ranking member of the regiment " , according to the BBC . Since joining in 2001 , he has performed duties overseas , and has paraded before royalty . His primary duty was to march at the head of the battalion on all ceremonial duties . He was present for every parade in which the regiment participated . Billy ' s full - time handler was Lance Corporal Ryan Arthur , who carried the title of " Goat Major " . Temporary demotion . On 16 June 2006 , a parade was held to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II ' s 80th birthday , at the Episkopi base near Limassol , Cyprus on the Mediterranean island ' s south coast . Invited dignitaries included the ambassadors of Spain , the Netherlands and Sweden and the Argentine commander of United Nations ' forces on Cyprus . The deployment to Cyprus with the 1st Battalion was Billy ' s first overseas posting , and despite being ordered to keep in line , he refused to obey . He failed to keep in step , and tried to headbutt a drummer . The goat major , Lance Corporal Dai Davies , 22 , from Neath , South Wales , was unable to keep him under control . Billy was charged with " unacceptable behaviour " , " lack of decorum " and " disobeying a direct order " , and had to appear before his commanding officer , Lieutenant - Colonel Huw James . Following a disciplinary hearing , he was demoted to fusilier . The change meant that other fusiliers in the regiment no longer had to stand to attention when Billy walked past , as they had to when he was a lance corporal . A Canadian animal rights group protested to the British Army , stating that he was merely " acting the goat " , and should be reinstated . Three months later , on 20 September at the same parade ground , Billy regained his rank during the Alma Day parade which celebrates the Royal Welsh victory in the Crimean War . Captain Simon Clarke said , " Billy performed exceptionally well , he has had all summer to reflect on his behaviour at the Queen ' s birthday and clearly earned the rank he deserves " . Billy received his promotion from the colonel of the Royal Welsh Regiment , Brigadier Roderick Porter . As a result of regaining his rank , he also regained his membership of the corporals ' mess . Billy is not the first goat in the army to have troubles . At one time a royal goat was " prostituted " by being offered for stud services by the regiment ' s serving goat major to a Wrexham goat breeder . First charged with lèse majesté , the goat major was ultimately court - martialled under the lesser charge of " disrespect to an officer " and reduced in rank . The goat major claimed he did it out of compassion for the goat , but this failed to impress the court . Another royal fusilier goat earned the nickname " the rebel " , after he butted a colonel while he was stooped over fixing his uniform ' s trouser - strap . The incident was described as a " disgraceful act of insubordination . " Retirement and replacement . On 20 May 2009 , following eight years of distinguished service , Billy retired due to his age . Soldiers from the battalion lined the route from his pen to the trailer as he left the camp for the last time , in ceremonial dress that included a silver headdress which was a gift from the queen in 1955 . Billy was taken to Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire where keepers say he will have an easy life at the Children ' s Farm . The hormone implants previously employed to control numbers were no longer available , so during the selection of a replacement goat , the battalion helped begin an alternative vaccine method of birth - control , part - funded by the RSPCA . On 15 June 2009 at 03 : 00 , thirty members of 1st Battalion set off to Great Orme in Llandudno , hoping to catch the goats in a docile state , A team led by Lieutenant - Colonel Nick Lock ( Commanding Officer ) included the goat major and several veterinarians . Army spokesman Gavin O ’ Connor said , " We are looking for a goat which is calm under pressure and a team player " . With some difficulty , a five - month old was chosen , and assigned army number 25142301 — which represents regiment number 2514 , 23rd Regiment of Foot ( the original name of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers ) , and 01 denoting the 1st Battalion . The new goat will also be called William Windsor , beginning as a fusilier whilst being trained for military life . He will receive a ration of two cigarettes per day , which he eats , but will not be permitted Guinness until he is older .