What happens to the Queen’s corgis now?

The Duke and Duchess of York will inherit two of the Queen’s most prized possessions, their corgis.

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8th at the age of 96 and on September 11th it was announced that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson would adopt the animals, named Muick and Sandy. It is unknown what will happen to the queen’s third dog, a dorgi.

For most of her life, Queen Elizabeth II has owned at least one corgi – a breed of dog that is now as synonymous with Her Majesty as Buckingham Palace.

In 2018, Whisper, the Queen’s last corgi, died, but even then she wasn’t entirely without canine affections.

Two dorgis – the product of mating one of the Queen’s corgis with dachshunds owned by her sister, Princess Margaret – named Vulcan and Candy were left after the death of 12-year-old Whisper. Vulcan has since died, but Candy survives.

But corgis were welcomed back into the Queen’s household in 2021, while her husband Prince Philip was hospitalized when she gave birth to two puppies she named Fergus and Muick.

Both names have special meanings: Muick was named after a favorite spot near Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s summer residence, and Fergus after an uncle she never knew. Her mother’s brother, Fergus Bowes-Lyon, was killed in World War I in 1915.

Fergus the pup tragically died of a heart defect just two months later, but Her Majesty was gifted another pup by her son Prince Andrew and granddaughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in June, on what had been Philip’s 100th birthday would. At her death, the queen left three dogs.

In 2015 it was reported that the queen purposely had no plans to add any more dogs to her brood. After one of her last corgis died in 2012, she told horse trainer Monty Roberts that she didn’t want any more pups because “she didn’t want to leave a pup behind. She wanted to put an end to it.”

The Story of the Corgi and the Queen

The then-Princess Elizabeth’s first blush with her favorite breed of dog happened in 1933, when she was just seven years old. Her father – then the Duke of York – bought a Corgi named Dookie for daughters Elizabeth and Margaret. A second corgi, Jane, was added and after giving birth to a litter of puppies, two of those puppies, Crackers and Carol, were kept.

For her eighteenth birthday in 1944, Princess Elizabeth was given another corgi named Susan by her father – now King George VI. Since acceding to the throne in 1952, the Queen has owned over 30 corgis who – although they are sometimes known to pinch and bite – lived as lavish a life as only a dog could live.

The Life of a Royal Corgi

The Queen’s corgis who lived at Buckingham Palace enjoyed a life of privilege, residing in their own room in the palace known as the Corgi Room.

They slept in raised wicker baskets – with fresh linens daily – and were cared for by the Queen herself. The menu was extensive and included fresh rabbit and beef served by a gourmet chef.

At Christmas time, the Queen gave her dogs stockings full of toys and biscuits. The dogs are looked after by two lackeysreferred to as “Puppy 1” and “Puppy 2”.

What happens to the corgis now?

Despite her wish that no new dogs be accepted into her home as of 2012, Her Majesty left behind three dogs at her death. What happens to these dogs now?

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson will take in the two corgis, but it’s unknown what will happen to the dorgi.

Royal correspondent Victoria Arbiter previously said The Independent that the Queen leaves no stone unturned – and that there is undoubtedly a plan for her life after Her Majesty’s death.

“We can only speculate about plans for the corgis – nothing is left to chance with the royal family,” she said.

“The royal family is a dog-loving family, although no one is particularly fond of corgis. The Queen was definitely the Lord and Master and had a wonderful journey with them. They were known to nibble on the ankles of the royal family.”

If he were forced to guess, Arbiter said the dogs would likely go to a member of the herd.

“All the Queen’s children would welcome her with open arms,” ​​she said.

If it’s not a family member, Arbiter said it would likely be a trusted employee. “She was surrounded by dog ​​lovers,” Arbiter added.