Lots of things are well-known about the British Queen, and one of those things is that she is an avid animal lover. The Queen has owned lots of animals during her lifetime, and still does!
Almost everyone is familiar with her love for the Welsh Corgi. Among all kinds of lapdogs, the Queen has always preferred the gorgeous corgi, the national treasure.
So, which corgi does the Queen have? Does she have a preference for a certain breed? What are the differences? Continue reading to find out everything about the Queen and the corgi!
Which Corgi Does The Queen Have?
The Queen, over her long rule, has had many different pets. Her love for animals is well-known, and many of her pets are considered a part of her family.
The truth is – there are two breeds of the Welsh Corgi – the Pembroke Corgi and the Cardigan Corgi. The Pembroke originates from Pembrokeshire in Wales, and the Cardigan from Cardiganshire – hence the names.
So, the Queen became passionate about corgis in her childhood, when she acquired a Pembroke corgi. Since then, the Queen’s love for Pembroke has only become more strong.
The Queen’s love for the Pembroke puppies was inherited from her father, King George VI. In 1933, George decided to bring home a Pembroke puppy – which only started the tradition.
The first corgi of the Royal Family was called Dookie, and he was only the first of the many. The Queen was to choose between three puppies, and she selected Dookie because of his long tail.
The young Queen decided that Dookie was the best choice because his longer tail could help her decipher whether the pet is pleased or not. In one of the interviews, Prince William has revealed that the Queen’s many pets are the secret to her happiness during her reign over the Kingdom.
The Queen has got her first corgi on her 18th birthday, and she called her special present Susan, back in 1944. The Queen was very attached to Susan, very much so that she snuck the pet on her honeymoon three years later.
Prince Phillip, the Queen’s husband, was displeased to find that out. Prince Phillip was never a great fan of the corgis, he hated them because they were so loud.
As we know now, this did not affect the Queen’s love for the Welsh doggie royalty. The Queen has bred corgis for over 50 years, and dorgis, as well.
Who Takes Care Of The Queen’s Corgis?
Believe it or not, the Queen takes a fair share of chores around her corgis every day. For the Queen, it’s not all about the love from afar – she takes care of her pets, too.
One of the most important things about corgi care is the daily walks. Some of you may be surprised to find out that the Queen herself walks the corgis twice a day, every day.
The first was will take place after the pets eat their lunch. The Queen will likely not walk the corgis herself, but she will be accompanied by a footman.
The second walk will take place on the ground of Buckingham Palace. The Queen, ever since her early days, has insisted on feeding and walking the dogs herself, much to her husband’s surprise.
For the Queen, taking care of her pets was her so-called “dog mechanism”. It was a moment in the day when the Queen could relax and unwind by spending time with her furry family.
It’s safe to say that the Queen’s pets live a luxurious life – without a doubt. The pets eat chef-prepared steaks, and they live and sleep in a dedicated “corgi room”.
All of the corgis of the Royal Family have been extremely loyal and friendly, without an exception. There have been over 30 corgis living in the Palace as the Queen’s pet, and to be honest, we aren’t sure that this was the end of it!
Is There An Actual “Corgi Room” In The Buckingham Palace?
Yes, believe it or not – the “corgi room” is very much real!
The real corgi room has a dedicated wicker basket for each of the dogs to sleep in. The corgis even have their security – consisting of two footmen.
The Queen requested that the sheets in the wicker baskets are changed daily. This tradition was started by the Queen Mother, and it’s still upheld to this day.
The corgis are taken care of so well, and they are so pampered, that they even eat a freshly-cooked dinner each night. The staff of Buckingham Palace isn’t only responsible for cooking for the Royal Family, but the royal pets, as well.
The corgis have a special menu, that consists of high-quality, fresh ingredients. The meals commonly consist of chicken, liver, cabbage, beef, rabbit, and rice – but for special occasions, they might get something else.
There are special rules when it comes to preparing the meals for royal corgis. Everything has to be cut into fine dice, and there absolutely cannot be any bits of bones in the meal.
If any of the dogs would choke on the food, the chef and the rest of the crew would be in real trouble. However, the Queen’s pets spend a lot of time in her private apartments in Windsor with the Queen herself.
During those times, the Queen will opt for feeding the pets herself. She will mix the corgi feed with a fork and a spoon, and everything will be arranged by a footman.
Was The Queen Ever Harmed By Her Corgis?
Whoever owned a corgi, knows how stubborn they can be. Corgis were initially herding dogs, and they used to herd large cattle by nipping at their heels.
Since this is in their very nature, it’s no surprise that a corgi nowadays might try to nip at a heel or two. However, the real question is – did the royal corgis ever try to hurt the Queen herself?
We have mentioned that the Queen’s corgis are very loyal to her, and because of that, there weren’t many accidents that resulted in Queen’s harm. On the other hand, there were notable accidents when the corgis hurt staff members so – let’s get into the details!
Susan, one of the Queen’s first pets, has bitten the palace clock winder, a gentleman called Leonard Hubbard. A decade later, Peter Doig put in a request that the royal staff puts a “Beware of the dog” sign at the Balmoral Castle. The request was put in after one of the royal corgis bit the postman.
We have mentioned the instincts of the corgi to nip at the heels – and there was such an incident in 1989. The Royal Family had to hire an animal psychologist to help tame the disobedient dogs. The problem was that the corgis have developed a bad habit of nipping at the family and the royal staff constantly.
In the same year, there was another accident when the Queen Mother’s dog, Ranger, led with corgis and attacked the Queen’s dorgi. The poor dorgi was killed in the accident, and the Queen was stricken with sorrow.
One of the last incidents was in 1991 when the Queen’s corgis have gotten into a fight. Trying to break up a fight between a dozen corgis, the Queen was bitten and had to get three stitches in her hand. So to answer the question, yes, the Queen was once hurt by her pets.
However, the last incident was a long time ago, back in 2003. Pharos, a corgi puppy from a tenth-generation offspring of Susan, had to be put down. He was mauled by an English bull terrier Dottie, a pet of Princess Anne’s. At Christmas, the corgis rushed out to the front door, and Dottie went for Pharos, savaging the poor pup’s hind legs and breaking one.
What Corgis Does The Queen Have Now?
The Queen has three dogs at the moment, two of them being corgis and one dorgi. The dorgi is the oldest dog of the three, and it’s called Candy. Candy is believed to be around 10 years old today.
Dorgis, aside from Corgis, have been the Queen’s favorite dogs, as well. The dorgi is a name for the dachshund & corgi mix – and the Queen herself has been credited with the creation of the dorgi.
The dorgi was first created when one of the Queen’s corgis mated with Princess Margaret’s dachshund, Pipkin, thus creating the dorgi. Candy, the dorgi, was one of the dogs Queen posed with for her special portraits in 2016, for her 90th birthday.
Candy was the last dog – dorgi, that lived in the household before the big crisis. Candy is the last “dorgi” owned by the Queen, and dorgis are easily distinguishable thanks to their long, rather floppy ears.
The story has it, that the Queen’s corgi accidentally mated with the dachshund of her sister’s, Princess Margaret. Although that was such a long time ago, the Queen never stopped cross-breeding dachshunds and corgis to create new puppies to care for as pets.
Unfortunately, other dogs featured in those photos are Willow, Holly, and Vulcan, who have all since passed away. Vulcan died in late 2020, leaving the Queen devastated, as Vulcan was her favorite pet.
In 2018, when the Queen had to say goodbye to Willow, she has vowed not to adopt any more corgis. The reason was that the queen didn’t want the dogs o to outlive her, and to make them miserable without her.
However, when Prince Phillip fell ill, the Queen has changed her mind because she had to find solace in someone. And what better way to do that than in the company of a cheery corgi or two?
Did The Queen Get New Corgis Afterward?
Yes, the Queen has been gifted three corgis in 2021, to help her cope with Prince Phillip’s illness and to keep her company at this difficult time.
The first two corgis were a gift from Prince Andrew, and she received them in February 2021. Unfortunately, one of them, Fergus, died at 5 months of age, and the Queen was devastated.
Her Majesty was very happy when she got the pets because they brought joy to her at a very difficult time. The whole castle was dead silent during Prince Philip’s hospital stay, and the new corgi babies broke the silence.
Fergus has passed away, but his closest friend Muick continued living by the Queen’s side. Muick was named after a beauty spot near the Queen’s Scottish residence, the Balmoral castle.
Muick is very energetic and friendly, so even the poor corgi was not dealing very well with Fergus’s death. That is why Prince Andrew and his daughters made the ultimate choice what to give the Queen for her birthday – a new corgi puppy!
Keeping in mind what a hard time the Queen had with Fergus’ early death, the Queen was ecstatic when she found out she was getting a new corgi. Since all Queen’s corgis have such unique names, we do not doubt that the new addition to the pet family will have an unusual name, as well.
Fun Fact About The Queen & Her Corgis
The Welsh Corgi was considered at some point to be an endangered dog breed. There were fewer and fewer puppies registered each year at the beginning of the 20th century.
However, all that changed when Elizabeth II became Queen. As we have previously discussed, the Queen was always a great fan of the Welsh Corgi, and she was already a fan at the beginning of her reign.
So, her love for the corgi made the breed popular again, especially the Pembroke breed. Afterward, the corgi was a dog breed in demand for decades, up until the beginning of the 21st century.
Some specialists were even worried that the breed is going to go extinct because of the decreasing number of newly registered puppies. Suddenly, all that changed thanks to heavy featuring of the corgi on social media.
The corgi’s playfulness and sense of humor made this dog breed desirable to own and breed again. At that point, it was obvious why the Queen loves her corgi puppies so much and why she has owned over 30 of them!
Bottom Line
To conclude, the Queen is a great fan of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. She has owned so many corgis during her lifetime, that she even created her crossbreed called dorgi. The Queen’s love for the dogs is so great that she takes care of them herself and gives them the best life. They are pampered like true royalty!
See Also: [Pictures] 15 Corgi Mixed Breeds