Queen Elizabeth II’s lifelong affection for dogs was well-known. She owned dozens of Welsh corgis, her favorite breed, and was regularly seen with them loyally by her side. The breed, known for its distinctive short legs and pointy ears, has become synonymous with the monarch.
According to the American Kennel Club, the Queen had two Pembroke Welsh corgis, Muick and Sandy, as well as an older mixed-breed “dorgi” called Candy. It was reported that a cocker spaniel named Lissy joined the group in January.
Consequently, the corgis will now live with the Duke and Duchess of York, Andrew and Sarah, as confirmed by a source close to the Duke of York. The future of Candy and Lissy remains uncertain.
The History of Corgis in the Royal Family
Here’s a look back at the Queen and her furry friends through the years:
A young Elizabeth, then a princess, gives a corgi a comforting hug at her home in London in 1936.
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Elizabeth, right, and her sister, Princess Margaret, work at a desk while a corgi lies on the floor beside them at Windsor Castle in 1940. Elizabeth was officially gifted her own corgi by her parents on her 18th birthday in 1944. Lisa Sheridan/Hulton Royals Collection/Getty ImagesThe Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, watch their children Prince Charles and Princess Anne play with their dogs during a family vacation at Balmoral Castle in 1955.
Eric Marrapodi/CNN
Memorable Moments with the Queen and Her Dogs
The Queen and Prince Philip watch her corgi Sugar outside Windsor Castle in 1959.
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The Queen takes photos with her corgis at Windsor Park in 1960. Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesThe Queen holds one of her ‘dorgis,’ a cross between a corgi and a dachshund, in 1960. She is credited with creating the breed after her corgi mated with a dachshund owned by her sister, Princess Margaret. Edward Wing/ShutterstockThe Queen leads her corgis into Liverpool Street Station in London in 1966. Eric Marrapodi/CNNThe Queen with a pet corgi in 1969. Joan Williams/ShutterstockThe Queen sits in her study with a corgi at her side at Balmoral Castle in 1972. Fox Photos/Hulton Royals Collection/Getty ImagesThe Queen and her corgis sit on a grassy bank in Surrey, England, in 1973. Press Association/APThe Queen and her corgis arrive at Aberdeen Airport to start a vacation in Scotland in 1974.
Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The Queen holds one of her favorite dogs at the Badminton Horse Trials in South Gloucestershire, England, in 1976.
Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The royal family strolls the grounds of Balmoral Castle in 1979.
Ron Bell/Press Association/AP
The Queen and some of her corgis walk during the second day of the Windsor Horse Trials in 1980.
AP
The Queen sits in the back seat of a car with one of her corgis in 1986. Today/ShutterstockThe Queen and Prince Philip pose for a photo in 1994. Mirrorpix/NewscomThe Queen’s dogs exit an aircraft after a flight to London in 1998.
Tim Ockenden/AP
The Queen’s dogs are all around her at Buckingham Palace as she meets the New Zealand rugby team in 2002.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/Pool/AP
One of the Queen’s corgis gets into a photo with the Queen and England’s World Cup-winning rugby team in 2003.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/EMPPL PA Archive/AP
The Queen is joined by her ‘dorgi’ Candy as she views jubilee memorabilia at Windsor Castle in February 2022.
