What will become of the Queen’s cherished pets following her death on Thursday at the age of 96?
Britain’s longest-reigning monarch leaves behind four royal dogs: two corgis named Candy and Muick, a corgi-dachshund mix named Sandy, and her most recent acquisition, a cocker spaniel named Lissy.
Uncertain is the fate of a royal dog dynasty, but a royal biographer believes they may be given to the monarch’s “favorite son,” Prince Andrew, or to members of the royal family’s long-serving employees who have cared for the animals for decades.
Ingrid Seward, royal biographer, told Newsweek that the Queen’s unrivaled affection for her dogs throughout the years makes it probable that they would find a home inside the royal family, despite the sorrow and uncertainty surrounding her demise.
She enjoys animals, and dogs in particular. She has always loved them; they were her first and will be her last,’ said Seward.
‘I assume the dogs will be cared for by the family, most likely Andrew, as he gave them to her. The corgi and the dorgi are pretty young.’
Queen Elizabeth and Candy, one of her four remaining dogs (pictured)
Through the years, photographs of the monarch always depicted her with a dog by her side.
In 2021, the Duke of York presented the Queen with two new puppies named Fergus and Muick (shown). A few weeks later, Fergus passed away, but he was replaced with a fresh corgi puppy.
Queen Elizabeth II was frequently observed strolling the gardens with her favorite pets.
Penny Junor, author of All The Queen’s Corgis, indicated to Newsweek that the Queen’s personnel may care for the dogs.
Angela Kelly, the Queen’s trusty dressmaker, assistant, and right-hand lady, and Paul Whybrew, her similarly loyal page of many years’ standing, were seen walking with the Queen and the dogs in the James Bond parody, according to her 2018 book.
Both have unrestricted access to the Queen and are rumored to be extremely close to her.
The feisty little dogs had a predilection for biting the ankles of attendants, but the Queen adored her corgis.
Some of the Queen’s over thirty canines were direct descendants of Susan.
In 1936, King George VI adopted a second Corgi, named Jane, who had two puppies, Carol and Crackers. Queen Elizabeth II was frequently spotted with the dogs.
The royal dog dynasty began in 1933, however it is known that Queen Elizabeth owned more than 30 corgis during her lifetime.
The fate of the remaining four canines is unknown, although analysts assume they will remain inside the royal family.
Her first, Susan, was a gift from her parents on her 18th birthday in 1944.
The Queen fell in love with her father’s Pembrokeshire corgi, Dookie, and desired one of her own.
Susan established the royal dog lineage for the Queen, although she was not always well-behaved.
She nipped a royal clock winder on the ankle and had a penchant for biting the legs of slaves.
Whisky, her grandson, allegedly tore the seat out of a Guards officer’s pants.
Many of the Queen’s corgis were direct offspring of Susan, who was so beloved that she attended Princess Elizabeth on her honeymoon.
In April 2018, the death of Willow, the last corgi descended from Susan, shocked the Queen.
She had acquired Whisper, a corgi, after the death of its owner, a former gamekeeper at Sandringham, but Willow was the last corgi in her lineage
In October 2018, Whisper passed away, leaving the Queen without any corgis.
At Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II (right) was bitten on the left hand while attempting to break up a quarrel between six of her corgis and two of the Queen Mother’s corgis (left).
The Queen introduced a new breed of dog to the world, a corgi-cross dachshund, and owned several ‘dorgis’ during her reign.
Throughout her seven-decade reign, the Queen transformed her dogs into a national icon.
It was recommended that she would not adopt any more puppies from the breed because she did not like to abandon any young canines.
Candy and Vulcan were her two remaining dorgis, but Vulcan died in December 2020, leaving the monarch with only Candy.
The Duke of York presented the Queen with two young puppies, one dorgi and one corgi, when she was in lockdown at Windsor in early 2021.
While the Duke of Edinburgh was in the hospital and Buckingham Palace and the royals were dealing with the bitter aftermath of Megxit and the Sussexes’ Oprah interview, the puppies kept the thrilled monarch busy.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Twitter erupted in a weird concern for the wellbeing of her remaining dogs.
The Queen named the dorgi Fergus after her uncle, who was slain in the First World War, and the corgi Muick, pronounced Mick, after Loch Muick on the Balmoral estate.
However, the queen was distraught when five-month-old Fergus died just weeks after Philip’s demise.
He was eventually replaced with a new corgi puppy, named Sandy, from Prince Andrew and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie for her formal 95th birthday.
During the lockdown, the puppies were a continual source of happiness for the monarch, according to her dresser Angela Kelly.
During England’s first lockdown in March 2020, the Queen was observed being taken away from the Palace with her dorgis.
The Queen introduced the new breed of dog known as the “dorgi” when her corgi Tiny was bred with Princess Margaret’s dachshund “sausage dog” Pipkin.
When asked how the little dachshunds managed to coexist with the very massive corgis, the Queen reportedly responded, “Oh, it’s really simple – we have a little brick they stand on.”
The favourite canine breed of Her Majesty was not everyone’s preference.
For example, her son Charles prefers Jack Russells to Welsh corgis, as they are formally termed.
Corgis are prone to biting human legs because their ancestors herded sheep by snapping at their feet.
After the passing of Prince Philip, the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, presented Queen Elizabeth with two corgi puppies.
During her travels, Queen Elizabeth frequently saw numerous corgi enthusiasts (pictured)
It was believed that the monarch’s affection for dogs extended beyond the royal dog lineage.
A timeline illustrating the peaks and valleys of a royal dog dynasty
The Queen’s father, George VI, purchases Dookie in 1933 after seeing a friend’s corgi.
King George VI obtained a second Corgi named Jane in 1936; two of her puppies, Carol and Crackers, were kept.
Queen Elizabeth receives Susan, her first corgi, as a gift for her 18th birthday in 1944. Susan becomes the leader of a royal dog dynasty.
Some of the Queen’s subsequent thirty-plus canines were direct descendants of Susan.
1989: Ranger, the Queen Mother’s dog, kills Chipper, the Queen’s dorgi (corgi-cross dachshund).
Queen Elizabeth II is bitten on the left hand at Windsor in 1991 while attempting to break up a quarrel between six of her corgis and two of the Queen Mother’s.
2003: Pharos, one of the Queen’s oldest corgis, is viciously attacked by another dog and subsequently euthanized.
2012: Monty, Willow, and Holly star alongside the Queen in a James Bond sketch for the London Olympic opening ceremony. Monty died within months.
Holly is euthanized in October 2016 due to sickness, leaving Willow as the final corgi belonging to the Queen and the only descendent of Susan.
In April of 2018, the adored corgi Willow, the last descendant of Susan, dies.
Whisper, a corgi acquired by the Queen after the loss of its owner, passes away in October, leaving the Queen without any corgis.
Two dorgis, Candy and Vulcan, are still alive in 2020. In December Vulcan dies
The Queen is left with one dog, Candy, until early 2021, when Prince Andrew, Duke of York, presents her with two new puppies, one dorgi, Fergus, and one corgi, Muick (pronounced Mick).
Fergus tragically passes away at five months old barely weeks after Prince Philip’s death in April.
Shortly after the loss of Prince Philip, the Duke of York replaces Fergus with Sandy, a fresh corgi puppy.
In January of 2022, Queen Elizabeth acquires a cocker spaniel that she names Lissy after herself.
Four dogs survive the death of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96: Candy (dorgi), Sandy (corgi), Muick (corgi), and Lissy (dorgi) (cocker spaniel).
One footman in the Palace devised a creative method of revenge.
He laced the dogs’ food and water with whisky and gin, then laughed as the animals staggered around inebriated.
However, his treachery was detected, and he was demoted.
Max Bygraves once said that a flatulent corgi left him red-faced while dining with the Queen.
He informed the Queen, “I hope you don’t assume that was me.”
When her corgis kept attacking each other, the Queen was eventually compelled to consult a dog psychiatrist.
The worst incidence occurred in 1989 when Ranger, who belonged to the Queen Mother, murdered Chipper, the Queen’s dorgi.
Two years later, when attempting to break up a quarrel between six of her corgis and two of the Queen Mother’s at Windsor, the Queen was bitten on the left hand.
She required three stitches, while her chauffeur required a tetanus injection.
Dr. Roger Mugford, a canine psychotherapist, prescribed the Queen an ear-piercing rape alarm to break up the dog fights.
In addition, he sent the pack leader, Apollo, to live with Princess Anne.
Occasionally, though, it was the corgis themselves who were attacked.
After the departure of Queen Elizabeth II, the future of the royal dogs was at the top of the list of concerns, as statements made by her equestrian expert Monty Roberts in a 2015 Vanity Fair story resurfaced.
Roberts told Vanity Fair at the time that the monarch had named a corgi after her, but didn’t want any more “young pups” so as to “leave no young dogs behind.”
People expressed bizarre concerns on social media that her canines would be ‘entombed with the body.’
One Twitter user wrote, “Desperately Googling who I need to seduce to get into the royal family and spare the corgis from being entombed with the body.”
“Is anyone concerned about the corgis? Are they going the way of the pharaohs?
” said a third.
This evening, thousands of heartbroken mourners gathered outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal residences, in addition to expressing concern for the wellbeing of the Queen’s dogs.
‘God Save The Queen’ and ‘Long Live The King’ were chanted by the mourning at one point.
Others placed flowers in front of Windsor Castle, where the Queen had spent a great deal of time since the death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, in April of last year.
Fans of the royal family, notably in Washington, Berlin, and Oslo, put flowers outside British embassies as a sign of the Queen’s global influence and appeal.
The Queen stands for a portrait in the drawing room at Balmoral prior to her meeting with her newly appointed Prime Minister, Ms. Truss.
Andrew, Edward, his wife Sophie, and William hurried to Balmoral from Berkshire via private aircraft to Aberdeen yesterday to visit her. However, it is understood that they were unable to arrive on time.
Even the workers of the royal household shed tears yesterday as they came to terms with the passing of their beloved employer and the head of state.
One individual remarked, “No matter how hard you try to prepare yourself for this moment, it hits you like a ton of bricks.” She cannot be replaced. I cannot believe we will never see that sly smile again. There is a profound feeling of shock.
The Queen’s son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, is now King Charles III, while Prince William inherited his father’s title and is now titled The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge along with his wife. William is now the apparent successor to the British throne.