Queen Elizabeth II And Her Royal Pets & More Latest News Here – Up Jobs

It’s no secret that Queen Elizabeth II is a huge animal lover. The Queen currently has four dogs – two corgis, one dorgi (that’s a cross between a dachshund and a corgi) and a new cocker spaniel – and they are often seen by her side. Prince William has previously said that the Queen’s pets are the secret to keeping his grandmother happy, although he pointed out that they can be noisy. ‘I would definitely argue the sanity of all the corgis barking the whole time, I don’t know how she copes with it,’ the Duke of Cambridge said in a TV interview in 2012.

His brother Prince Harry also revealed that the Queen’s corgis took an instant shine to Meghan Markle. ‘The corgis took to you straight away,’ Harry revealed in the couple’s engagement interview with ITV in 2017. ‘I’ve spent the last 33 years being barked at – this one walks in, absolutely nothing.’ According to Meghan, they were ‘just laying on my feet during tea, it was very sweet.’

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just dogs Her Majesty has – she actually owns many different animals.

Why does the Queen love corgis?

The Queen’s loyal love for corgis stems from her childhood. In 1933, when Her Majesty was seven years old, her father King George VI brought home Dookie, a Pembroke Welsh corgi. The Queen and Princess Margaret chose Dookie from a litter of three, remarking that his long tail would ‘help them see whether he was pleased or not’.

It is thought that the Queen has had at least 30 corgis throughout her 70-year reign.

Princess Elizabeth, aged 10, with her pet dog, London. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

In 1944, on her 18th birthday, the Queen was gifted a corgi named Susan, from whom the rest of her corgis are said to be descended. Her Majesty had a strong bond with her, so strong that the Queen snuck Susan on her honeymoon in 1947 – much to the despair of husband Prince Phillip.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England, 12th June 1959.

How many corgis does the Queen have now?

The Queen now has two pure-bred corgis called Muick and Sandy. They were gifted to her by the Duke of York and his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to keep her company during lockdown and while Prince Philip was in hospital. They were said to be a ‘constant joy’ to her during that difficult time period. She had many more but most of Her Majesty’s older corgis have passed away in recent years. She also has a dorgi called Candy (believed to have been around for at least 10 years) and a cocker spaniel named Lissy. Lissy is the newest edition and joined the pack in January 2022. The Queen is known to walk her dogs twice a day. The first walk takes place after the corgis have received their lunch and she is often accompanied by a footman.

Is there really a corgi room in Buckingham Palace?

Yes! The Queen’s corgis live a life of luxury in a special corgi room at Buckingham Palace. Darren McGrady, a chef who worked at the palace for 15 years, revealed, ‘They sleep in little wicker baskets in the corgi room and [are] looked after by two footman called Doggie 1 and Doggie 2, that’s what they called them.’ They are quite the spoiled pooches, Daren reveals. ‘One of the first jobs I had was cooking for the corgis – the Royal Corgis – making fresh food every day,’ adds Darren. ‘[The corgis had] their own menu.’

WINDSOR, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 04: Queen Elizabeth II is joined by one of her dogs, a Dorgi called Candy, as she views a display of memorabilia from her Golden and Platinum Jubilees in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle on February 4, 2022 in Windsor, England. The Queen has since travelled to her Sandringham estate where she traditionally spends the anniversary of her accession to the throne – February 6 – a poignant day as it is the date her father King George VI died in 1952. (Photo by Steve Parsons-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

What other pets does the Queen have?

During her long reign, the Queen has been given many animals a gift, as is tradition. As the Queen’s love of all-things equestrian is well known, she has been sent horses from all over the world, including one from the Portuguese Government and a black mare (Burmese) from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which the Queen rode during the Trooping the Colour ceremonies between 1969 and 1986.

On to more unique gifts: In 1957, the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society presented her majesty with a cow called Beauchamp Oxford Lady. In the 1960s, the Queen received a veritable menagerie of wild animals, including a pair of pygmy hippopotamus from the president of Liberia, which she donated to London Zoo. Other quirky animal gifts include two American beavers, an Arctic fox from Canada, two giant anteaters, a sloth from Brazil and a young Nile crocodile from Gambia.

The Queen also owns all swans in open water in the UK, which is her birthright. However, the Queen only exercises ownership on certain stretches of the River Thames around Windsor.