What will happen to the Queen’s corgis after her death? Plus, number of dogs Queen Elizabeth owned in her life

It is well known that the late Queen Elizabeth II was a dog lover, and Her Majesty had a particular fondness for one breed - corgi.

The corgi is so well-loved by our late monarch that it has become as synonymous with her as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

For almost nine decades, from 1933 until her death on September 8 2022, Queen Elizabeth II owned at least one corgi.

Following the Queen’s death, there was an outpouring of grief from across the UK and the world - and people have also been asking what will happen to the late monarch’s beloved pets.

But, just how many corgis did the Queen currently have at the time of her death, what will happen to them now she has passed, and how many did she have during her lifetime?

Here’s what you need to know.

How many corgis did the Queen have at the time of her death?

The Queen was currently thought to have two corgis at the time of her death.

One of them, Muick, was given to her in 2021, while her late husband Prince Philip was in hospital.

At that time, Muick was just one of two corgi puppies given to Her Majesty. The other puppy, which she named Fergus passed away after just two months due to a heart defect.

Her Majesty was given another corgi puppy in June 2021 by son Prince Andrew and granddaughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

It is reported that the dog was given to the Queen to mark what would have been Philip’s 100th birthday, and also her official 95th birthday.

Prince Phillip passed away in April 2021, just months short of his 100th birthday, and the late Queen’s dogs are said to have given her comfort during this difficult time.

Did the Queen have any other dogs?

While the Queen’s favourite dog breed was always the corgi, that’s not the only type of dog she owned at the time of her passing.

She also had a dorgi, which is a cross between a corgi and a dachshund, and it is also thought to have also been given a cocker spaniel sometime in early 2022.

The dorgi was born several years ago as a result of one of the Queen’s previous corgis mating with one of the dachshunds of her sister, the late Princess Margaret.

This means that the Queen has four dogs in total at the time of her death; two corgis, a dorgi and a cocker spaniel.

What will happen to the Queen’s dogs after her death?

The Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, have been left to care for the Queen’s dogs following her death, it has been declared.

Prince Andrew, aged 62, is the is third child of the late Queen and husband Prince Philip.

Despite being separated for around 30 years, the couple continue to live together at a £30million regal residence, Royal Lodge in Windsor.

The Grade II-listed residence of Royal Lodge has belonged to Prince Andrew since the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, and boasts 30-rooms.

The dogs will soon be rehomed there.

What are the late Queen’s dogs called?

The eldest of the late Queen’s dogs is dorgi Candy.

In 2016 Candy was just one the late Queen’s beloved pets who sat alongside her as she posed for her official 90th birthday photos, taken by Annie Leibovitz at Windsor Castle.

Muick, who is now one year old, was named after a favourite spot near the late Queen’s summer retreat of Balmoral Castle.

Loch Muick is an upland, freshwater loch lying within the boundary of the Balmoral estate in Scotland.

The name chosen for the late Queen’s most recent corgi has not been revealed, but it is reported to be male.

Her cocker spaniel, which was said to be welcomed in to the royal family in early 2022, is called Lissy.

Other dogs the late Queen owned over the years were a mix of traditional and unusual names, but all were said to have special meaning to Her Majesty.

The names of previous puppies include Susan, Willow, Holly, Vulcan, Dookie, Jane, Monty, Honey, Berry, Emma and Linnet.

How many corgis did the Queen had over her lifetime?

It is not known exactly how many corgis, or other dog breeds, the late Queen had in her lifetime.

It is thought, however, that she owned over 30 in over 70 years.

Many of these are believed to have been descended from her first ever corgi she was given, which she received as a birthday gift from her father in the 1930s.

King George VI gave corgis Dookie and Jane to his daughters, the then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret, who have both now passed away, in 1933.

Dookie and Jane had a litter of puppies and two of those puppies, Crackers and Carol, were kept by the royal family.

For her eighteenth birthday in 1944, Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, was given a corgi named Susan as another gift from her father.

Since her accession to the throne in 1952, the Queen owned over 30 corgis in her lifetime, and all are said to have lived a lavish life as a royal pet.

Where did the Queen’s corgis live?

The late Queen’s corgis have always lived alongside her in Buckingham Palace, and are said to have had their own room in the residence called the corgi room.

They led a privileged life, sleeping in elevated wicker baskets, with their sheets refreshed daily, and were even tended to by the Queen herself.

Their food was made by a gourmet chef, and they were predominately looked after by two footmen.

The Queen did, however, take her beloved pets out for a walk around the grounds of Buckingham Castle twice a day, often accompanied by a footman.

Why does the Queen love corgis?

The Queen has not revealed publicly the exact reason behind her love of corgis, but it could be because her first corgis were gifted to her on her birthday.

The Queen and her late sister Princess Margaret are also reported to have loved spending time with the corgis owned by the Marquess of Bath during their childhood.