As jubilee fever hit, we looked back over the Queen’s 70-year reign and her lifelong love of dogs in our June 2022 issue. Now that she has passed, we share the article again to honour a love that lasted a lifetime…
Original article by Bernard Bale, with additional reporting by Claire Horton-Bussey
Corgis are synonymous with royalty – and indeed, they have been an important part of the Queen’s life since 1933, when Pembrokeshire Corgi Dookie joined the royal household. But actually, the Dorgi – a Dachshund-Corgi cross – has been as much the Queen’s companion as the pedigree Pembrokeshire Corgi.
It’s thought the Dorgi first arrived in Her Majesty’s life when Princess Margaret’s Dachshund, Pipkin, seized an opportunity with Tiny, one of the Queen’s Corgis. The resultant puppies became such endearing companions that the cross continued to be intentionally bred in the Queen’s own kennels for decades.
When Vulcan, the last of the Queen’s Dorgis, died in 2020, she took the decision not to have any other dogs. Her Majesty’s decision was based on her recognition of her own age and the fact that she could not be as hands-on with the care and training of a new dog as she has in the past.
However, the dog-free life didn’t last long. When Prince Philip was in hospital in March 2021, Prince Andrew gifted a pair of puppies to his mother. The Dorgi she named Fergus, after her late uncle, Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who died in the First World War. The Corgi (who reportedly cost £2,650) was named Muick (pronounced Mick), after Loch Muick, her favourite beauty spot in the royal estate of Balmoral.
Prince Andrew gifted another puppy, a Corgi, on what would have been Prince Philip’s 100th birthday
Fergus and Muick are said to have greatly comforted the Queen during her beloved husband’s illness and after his death in April 2021. So it came as a great shock when Fergus died unexpectedly a month later, at just five months of age.
The Sun newspaper reported a source saying, “The Queen is absolutely devastated. The puppies were brought in to cheer her up during a very difficult period. Everyone concerned is upset as this comes so soon after she lost her husband.”
Prince Andrew gifted another puppy, a Corgi, on what would have been Prince Philip’s 100th birthday.
Corgi dynasty
Many British monarchs were known for their love of dogs. King George VI was the monarch who began the Corgi dynasty when, while he was still Duke of York, he bought a dog called Dookie from nearby kennels. Dookie was immediately welcomed into the arms of the family and especially the young girls, Elizabeth and Margaret.
It was quite a change for him, as he favoured Golden Retrievers, but Dookie was soon followed by Jane and the result was two pups, Crackers and Carol. Thus, the dynasty was born.
Susan was a Corgi presented to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1944, for her 18th birthday, and not only became the matriarch of all the Corgis who followed, but was a special favourite of the Princess who took Susan on her honeymoon in 1947.
“I like dogs to be bright and naturally friendly,” Her Majesty once explained. “They all have their own characters and that is part of their fun.”
Sadly, there are no longer any home-bred Corgis in the royal household since the death of Willow in 2018. The Queen was clearly very upset by the loss of the 14-year-old dog, who had appeared in the James Bond sketch for the opening of the 2012 London Olympics.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, “Her majesty has mourned every one of her Corgis over the years, but she has been more upset about Willow’s death than any of them. This is probably because Willow was the last link to her parents and a pastime that goes back to her own childhood. It really does feel like the end of an era.”
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will look after Muick and Sandy
Willow was the last descendant of Susan – the Queen’s first Corgi of her own. Willow will live on, though, having appeared in the official portrait to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016. The portrait by photographer Annie Leibovitz featured the Queen on steps at the rear of the East Terrace of Windsor Castle with Corgis Willow and Holly and Dorgis Vulcan and Candy.
The Queen has had many canine companions in her life. Some of them are buried at a private spot in the grounds of Sandringham. Monty, who also starred in the James Bond sketch, is buried at Balmoral – and it is understood that Willow is buried at Windsor Castle where she had died.