The QUEEN’S most loyal companions
The corgis of Buckingham Palace have proved to be faithful friends to our devoted monarch over the years
SHE may have been raised in the lap of luxury, but in some ways, our Queen was once just like every other little girl in the land: it was at the tender age of seven that the then Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister, Margaret, returned from visiting family friends, and pleaded with their father, the Duke of York, to buy them a dog.
Thus it was that, in 1933, an eminent corgi breeder was summoned to the family home at 145 Piccadilly with a trio of puppies, so the princesses could choose a pet. Following his selection for royal adoption, kennels staff began training the dog for his new life, and gave the young puppy the affectionate nickname ‘the Duke’, which was soon shortened to Dookie. He was doted upon, and was the first in a long line of corgi companions for the Windsors, who soon started to breed their own.
On her 18th birthday, Princess Elizabeth was presented with her own corgi, Susan, who accompanied her and Prince Philip on their honeymoon in 1947. All her subsequent corgis – of which there have been over 30 since she ascended the throne, including Foxy, Cider, Berry, Bushy, Candy, Whisky, Pharos, Holly, Willow and Monty – are descended from her. Indeed, a trio of the Queen’s loyal companions made a cameo appearance in the James Bond-themed segment of the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, when Daniel Craig was seen escorting Her Majesty along the corridors
of Buckingham Palace before parachuting into the Olympic stadium with ‘her’.
They have travelled the globe with the monarch, but in Buckingham Palace, the corgis are said to have resided in a dedicated Corgi Room, where they slept in elevated wicker baskets (to avoid draughts). They reportedly dined from a dedicated doggie menu prepared by the royal chefs and were indulged with bespoke Christmas stockings filled with toys and treats.