It’s Unclear Who Will Take Care Of The Queen’s Corgis

Throughout Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, the monarch was known for many trademarks; however, her love for animals may be the most quirky one. The Queen, who died at age 96 on Sept. 8 at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, was routinely surrounded by her many pets over the years, especially her adorable corgis. In total, Harper’s Bazaar reported the monarch was a dog mom to more than 30 corgis in her lifetime. In light of her death, royal experts are now speculating what will happen to her corgis, and there are a few different scenarios that might play out for the pups.

At the time of her death, the Queen owned two Welsh corgis named Sandy and Muick, and one dorgi — which is a corgi-dachshund mix — known as Candy, per NPR. She also owned one cocker spaniel called Lissy, meaning there are presumed to be four dogs in need of care.

On Sept. 8, royal author Claudia Joseph told The New York Post that the Queen’s dogs could be rehoused to another family member. “Andrew has Cocker Spaniels so he might take back the one he gave her,” Joseph said. “William and Kate also love dogs so they could have them.”

Meanwhile, there’s been numerous reports the Queen’s staff at Buckingham Palace may take care of her pets, but those details have not been been publicized or confirmed.

According to BuzzFeed News, the late monarch had a soft spot for the short-legged breed since she was seven years old. Eventually, on her 18th birthday, she was gifted her first corgi named Susan. Susan’s presence was incredibly impactful to the Queen, so much so that she reportedly went on to breed corgis until 2012.

The Queen likely stopped breeding corgis in 2012 after the death of her dog Willow, according to Marie Claire. The Queen’s advisor, Monty Roberts, told Vanity Fair in 2015 that the Queen said she was no longer interested in expanding the corgi lineage at the time. “She didn’t want to leave any young dog behind,” Roberts said.

Then, in June 2021, the monarch had a change of heart when she was gifted another corgi on her 95th birthday. This touching present also came on the heels of her late husband Prince Philip’s birthday, who died two months prior in April.

Shortly after the Queen’s death, photographer Annie Leibovitz recalled the late monarch’s relationship with her pets in a post on Twitter. Alongside her own 2016 Vanity Fair photograph of the Queen with her dogs, she wrote, “The Queen went out walking with her dogs every day... The Queen grew up with corgis, fearless little dogs bred for herding cattle. Her father brought a corgi home when she was seven, and she was not without one— for decades afterward.”