Aside from a dedication to service, family and her country during a historic 70-year reign, one thing remains steadfast: Queen Elizabeth II will always be remembered for her love of animals, particularly her pet corgis. Her Majesty had over 30 corgis in her lifetime!
“She loves animals and she absolutely adores dogs,” Ingrid Seward, a royal biographer, recently told Newsweek. “They were her first love and they will be her last.”
As “All The Queen’s Corgis” author Penny Junor wrote, “Strip away the wealth, the privilege and the palaces, and the bond she has with her dogs is no different from the bond the rest of us have with ours, no matter our station in life.”
Dog parents — with or without the tiaras, we’re all the same.
At age 7, Princess Elizabeth met a friend’s corgi and immediately fell in love, according to the BBC. Soon after, the princess would have her own corgi, whose official name was Rozavel Golden Eagle, or “Dookie,” after the Duke of York.
Queen Elizabeth’s Dogs: What Will Happen To Them After The Monarch’s Death?
Princess Elizabeth’s love of corgis continued over the years, as did their popularity across England, no doubt based on her influence. According to the BBC, in 1936, The Kennel Club reported a clear spike in Pembroke corgi registrations, and again on her 18th birthday in 1944, when the Princess was given Susan, another corgi.
Susan was a faithful companion for many years, including during the Queen’s honeymoon with Prince Phillip, when she reportedly smuggled Susan on a ship under a few blankets, and after she was crowned queen at age 25.
Queen Elizabeth’s Dogs: What Will Happen To Them After The Monarch’s Death?
As the decades passed, many a corgi called Buckingham Palace home. Among them, names like Willow, Sugar, Flash and Vulcan stand out. According to The Independent, the Queen’s beloved pets always had their own room and were given elaborate meals (as you might expect of a royal pup).
What happens to Queen Elizabeth’s dogs now?
The Queen leaves behind at least four dogs (two corgis, a cocker spaniel and a dachshund-corgi mix, or “dorgi”).
CBS News reports that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah, will become pet parents to the Queen’s two corgis, Muick and Sandy, who were originally given to his late mother by Prince Andrew.
It hasn’t yet been reported on who will take the Queen’s remaining pups, Lissy and Candy.
“Care of the dogs has fallen sometimes to footmen but mostly to the Queen’s trusted dressmaker, assistant and right-hand woman, Angela Kelly; and to her equally trusted page of many years standing, Paul Whybrew, who was seen walking with the Queen and the dogs in the James Bond spoof [to promote the 2012 London Olympics],” Junor wrote in her book.
One thing’s for certain, Queen Elizabeth’s dogs will be well cared for in this next chapter. And Her Majesty’s legacy will endure — yes, as the longest living British monarch, but also as a dedicated pet parent and a lifelong lover of animals.