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Queen Elizabeth's corgis


Pembroke Welsh Corgis are famed for being the preferred breed of Queen Elizabeth II, who has owned more than 30 during her reign. These dogs have been favoured by the British Royal Family for more than seventy years.

In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II had five corgis: Monty, Emma, Linnet, Willow and Holly. During the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, Monty, Willow and Holly made an appearance when James Bond (portrayed by Daniel Craig) arrived at Buckingham Palace to escort the Queen to the event. Monty had previously belonged to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and died soon after in September 2012.

The royal corgis are known all across the world and have been portrayed in many ways such as statues and works of art. For example, the crown coin which commemorated the Queen's Golden Jubilee shows her with a corgi.

The Queen has been very fond of corgis since she was a small child, having fallen in love with the corgis owned by the children of the Marquess of Bath. King George VI brought home Dookie in 1933. A photograph from George VI's photo album shows a ten-year-old Elizabeth with Dookie at Balmoral. Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret would feed Dookie by hand from a dish held by a footman. The other early favourite corgi during the same time was Jane.

Elizabeth II's mother, at that time Queen Elizabeth, introduced a disciplined regimen for the dogs; each was to have its own wicker basket, raised above the floor to avoid drafts. Meals were served for each dog in its own dish, the diet approved by veterinary experts with no tidbits from the royal table. A proprietary brand of meat dog biscuits was served in the morning, while the late afternoon meal consisted of dog meal with gravy. Extra biscuits were handed out for celebrations and rewards.


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Wikipedia

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