A royal expert has revealed what will happen to Queen Elizabeth II's long-loved animals and her beloved corgis after her death.
On Thursday, September 8, the late Queen passed away at the age of 96 and left behind a seven-decade-long legacy as Britain's longest-reining monarch.
She is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. In addition to that, she also leaves behind her special four-legged friends - her corgis.
It's believed her majesty had four dogs at the time of her death: two Pembroke Welsh Corgis, a Dorgi (Corgi-Dachshund mix), and a Cocker Spaniel named Lissy that joined the family in January 2022. But what will happen now that she has passed?
The longest-reigning British monarch had more than 30 dogs during her reign, starting from the first one named Dookie, whom she received as a gift from her father, King George VI, at the age of seven.
For her eighteenth birthday in 1944, the then-Princess was given a corgi named Susan once again as a gift from her father. Since her acquisition of the throne in 1952, she has owned over 30 corgis, who have all lived a lavish, royal life.
The late Queen reportedly decided to stop breeding corgis in 2015 so that none would be left behind when she died, but she received two as puppies, a Muick and a dorgi Fergus, from her son, Prince Andrew, after the death of her late-husband Prince Philip.
Sadly, Fergus died three months later, and so the Prince and his daughters, the princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, gave her another corgi named Sandy.
Royal correspondent Victoria Arbiter told the Independent that there would undoubtedly have been a plan for the canines in anticipation of Her Majesty's death.
"We can only speculate on plans for the corgis - nothing is left to chance with the royal family," Arbiter said. "The royal family is a family of dog lovers, though none are particularly fond of corgis."
"The Queen was definitely the lord and master and had a wonderful way with them. They were known to nip ankles of the royal family," she added.
The royal expert presumes that the precious animals will most likely be re-homed with a member of the realm and that Queen Elizabeth II's children would "welcome them with open arms".
Per Newsweek, another royal expert, author Penny Junor, suggested in her 2018 book, All The Queen's Corgis, that the dogs may be cared for by the late Queen's staff who had been a crucial part of her life.
"Care of the dogs has fallen sometimes to footmen but mostly to the Queen's trusted dressmaker, assistant, and right-hand woman, Angela Kelly; and to her equally trusted page of many years standing, Paul Whybrew, who was seen walking with the Queen and the dogs in the James Bond spoof," Junor wrote.
"Both are fond of the dogs, have unfettered access to the Queen, and are said to be very close to her," she added.
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