The Queen's Corgis Made Quite The Show At Her Funeral
The late Queen Elizabeth II had more than 30 corgis in her lifetime (via BBC) and received her first — Susan — from her father when she was just 18, per Today. Many of her later pets were descendants of Susan, and the queen also bred corgis with dachshunds, creating her own breed, the dorgi.
Per Good To Know, at the time of her passing on September 8, the queen left behind four dogs, including two corgis, a dorgi, and Lissy, a prize-winning cocker spaniel. Queen Elizabeth was gifted three pups in 2021, though sadly, five-month-old Fergus passed away, according to the outlet.
The corgis, Sandy and Muick, were gifts from Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and his daughters in 2021 (per BBC). The Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson — who continue to live together — will be taking the dogs home with them. Prince Andrew has been present at funeral events, though he has been embroiled in scandal since news of his affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein first made waves in 2015, per The New York Times.
With live streams of the queen's funeral events from Sky News and photo play-by-plays via Daily Mail, viewers around the world have kept up with the process of laying Queen Elizabeth II to rest, though private events will continue after public mourning at Windsor Castle. And, of course, the monarch's cherished companions have been included in the day's solemn proceedings.
The corgis had rules to follow on the day of the funeral
During Queen Elizabeth's funeral, her corgis, Muick and Sandy, were seen outside Windsor Castle. Though dogs are not allowed at Westminster Abbey, where the queen's funeral took place, they waited on the procession as it traveled to join the ruler's late husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
The corgis were seen interacting with their future owner, Prince Andrew, and playing with their handlers outside the Chapel. Twitter users were quick to comment on the pups, who brought a new emotional layer to the day's proceedings. In a clip disseminated by Sky News, Prince William told an onlooker of the queen's corgis, "I saw them the other day, that got me quite sad. They are going to be looked after fine." He also called them, "two very friendly corgis" and shared that "they'll be looked after very well. Spoiled rotten, I'm sure."
Per the Mirror, Her Majesty's cocker spaniel Lissy is thought to live with her trainer, and may not be joining Sandy and Muick in their new home with the Duke and Duchess of York. In 2015, Queen Elizabeth made the decision to stop breeding corgis so that they would not be left behind in the event of her passing, though loved ones gifted her new companions. The queen's pony Emma was also present on The Long Walk leading to Windsor.