Royal corgis facts for kids
Royal corgis were the Pembroke Welsh Corgi dogs owned by Queen Elizabeth II and her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Queen Elizabeth II loved corgis since she was a small child. She owned more than 30 corgis during her time as Queen of the Commonwealth realms, starting in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II always had at least one Corgi between 1933 and 2018.
In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II had five corgis: Monty, Emma, Linnet, Willow, and Holly. She also had five cocker spaniels and four "dorgis." Dorgis are dachshund-corgi crossbreeds. The dorgis were named Cider, Berry, Vulcan, and Candy. Monty, Willow, and Holly became famous when they appeared in the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. In a fun sketch, Daniel Craig (as James Bond) arrived at Buckingham Palace to take the Queen to the event. Monty had belonged to the Queen Mother before. He passed away in September 2012.
It was reported in 2015 that the Queen decided to stop breeding corgis. She did not want to leave any young dogs behind when she passed away. Her last purebred corgi, Willow, died in April 2018. Two dorgis, Vulcan and Candy, were still alive. Vulcan died in 2020. Candy was the Queen's only remaining dorgi until 2021. Then, a dorgi pup named Fergus and a corgi pup named Muick joined her.
The royal corgis were very famous around the world. They even appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in 2016. After they passed away, they were remembered in many artworks. These included statues, photos, and paintings. For example, a special crown coin was made for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II. It shows the Queen with a corgi. Also, in the 2006 film The Queen, Helen Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II. She is shown with several corgis.
The Corgis' Story
The Queen loved corgis from a very young age. She first fell in love with the corgis owned by the children of the Marquess of Bath. King George VI brought home the first royal corgi, Dookie, in 1933. A photo from King George VI's album shows ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth (who later became Queen Elizabeth II) with Dookie at Balmoral. Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret would feed Dookie by hand. Another early favorite corgi was named Jane.
Queen Elizabeth II's mother, Queen Elizabeth, set up a special routine for the dogs. Each dog had its own wicker basket. These baskets were raised off the floor to keep the dogs warm. Each dog also had its own food dish. Their diet was approved by veterinary experts. They were not given food from the royal table. In the morning, they ate a special brand of meat dog biscuits. In the late afternoon, they had dog meal with gravy. They received extra biscuits for special occasions or as rewards.
Crackers was one of the Queen Mother's corgis. He was born in 1939 and passed away in 1953. He was almost always with the Queen Mother. He moved with her to the Castle of Mey in Scotland when she retired. In 1944, Elizabeth received Susan as a gift for her 18th birthday. Susan even went with Elizabeth on her honeymoon in 1947. All the corgis owned by the Queen after Susan were her descendants. Rozavel Sue, a daughter of an international champion, was one of the Queen's corgis in the early 1950s.
Queen Elizabeth II owned more than 30 corgis after she became Queen in 1952.
In 1983, Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Grand Cayman. Government officials gave her sculptures of a corgi and a horse. These were made from black coral by Bernard Passman.
Life at the Palace
Sugar was the pet of Prince Charles and Princess Anne. In 1955, the Queen gave Whisky and Sherry to the Prince and Princess as surprise Christmas gifts. Sugar the corgi even appeared on the cover of The Australian Women's Weekly magazine in 1959. Sugar's twin, Honey, belonged to the Queen Mother. Honey would run with Johnny and Pippin, Princess Margaret's corgis, when the Princess lived at Buckingham Palace. Heather was born in 1962 and became one of the Queen's favorites. Heather was the mother of Tiny, Bushy, and Foxy. Foxy later gave birth to Brush in 1969.
The corgis had a very special life at Buckingham Palace. They lived in their own room, called the Corgi Room. They slept in raised wicker baskets. The Queen herself took care of the corgis in her kennel. She also chose which dogs would be bred. The corgis had a fancy menu at the palace. It included fresh rabbit and beef, prepared by a special chef. At Christmas, the Queen would make stockings for her pets. These were filled with toys and treats like biscuits.
In 2007, the Queen had five corgis: Monty, Emma, Linnet, Willow, and Holly. She also had five cocker spaniels: Bisto, Oxo, Flash, Spick, and Span. Plus, there were four "dorgis": Cider, Berry, Vulcan, and Candy. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II's corgis Monty, Willow, and Holly appeared in a short sketch. This was during the James Bond part of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Monty, who had belonged to the Queen Mother, passed away in September 2012. Monty was named after Monty Roberts, a horse expert and friend of the Queen.
In July 2015, it was reported that the Queen had stopped breeding corgis. She said she did not want to leave any young dogs behind if she passed away. Monty Roberts had encouraged her to breed more corgis in 2012. However, she told him she wanted to end the practice.
By April 2018, after Willow passed away, the Queen no longer had any purebred corgis. Only one dorgi, Candy, was still alive. In 2021, Candy was joined by a dorgi pup named Fergus and a corgi pup named Muick.
The royal dogs were usually buried at the royal home, Sandringham estate in Norfolk, if they passed away there. Queen Victoria first used this graveyard in 1887 for her Collie, Noble.
Corgi Incidents
Sometimes, the Queen or her staff were bitten by the corgis. In 1954, a palace worker named Leonard Hubbard was bitten by Susan. This happened when he entered the nursery at the Royal Lodge, Windsor. Later that same year, one of the Queen Mother's corgis bit a police officer on duty in London.
In 1968, Peter Doig suggested putting up a "Beware of the dog" sign at Balmoral. This was after one of the corgis bit the postman. In February 1989, it was reported that the royal family hired an animal psychologist. This was to help train the dogs, as they had started nipping people. Also in 1989, the Queen Mother’s dog, Ranger, led a group of corgis that attacked and sadly killed the Queen’s dorgi, Chipper.
In March 1991, the Queen was bitten while trying to stop a fight between about ten of her corgis. She needed medical attention for her hand. John Collins, the Queen Mother's chauffeur, also tried to help and needed a tetanus injection. In 2003, Pharos, a descendant of Susan, had to be put down. This happened after he was badly injured by Princess Anne's English bull terrier, Dottie. Princess Anne arrived at Sandringham for Christmas. The corgis rushed out as they arrived. Dottie attacked Pharos, causing serious injuries to his back legs.
Global Fame
The royal corgis are famous all over the world. They are strongly connected with the Queen. Many items have been made to honor the corgis. These include statues and other artworks. Because the Queen loved the Welsh Corgi so much, more corgis were shown at the 1954 West Australian Canine Association's Royal Show. Queen Elizabeth II’s special crown coin, issued during her Golden Jubilee year, shows the Queen with a corgi. Cartoonist Carl Giles included the corgis in every cartoon he drew of the Queen after 1962.
The royal pets are also the subject of an animated comedy film. It was made by a Belgian studio called nWave Pictures. The film is called The Queen's Corgi and was released in the UK in July 2019.
