As the Queen’s funeral procession headed towards her final resting place at Windsor Castle, two very special guests close to Her Majesty’s heart were awaiting her arrival to say their final goodbyes – her beloved corgis Muick and Sandy.
WATCH: Queen’s Corgis say last goodbye to queen
Waiting patiently for the cortege’s arrival, the short-legged canines watched on from the quadrangle as the Queen was being carried into Windsor’s St George’s Chapel for her funeral service.
Her Majesty’s furry friends were later seen with Prince Andrew who was spotted standing alongside them for a few minutes before heading to his mother’s service.
The dogs were also joined by another one of the Queen’s beloved animals, Emma the Fell Pony, who the Queen had for 26 years, and who stood on the grass at the side of the Long Walk during the procession.
As many know, Queen Elizabeth had quite the penchant for Corgis, having owned one since the tender age of 10.
Throughout her reign, the Queen owned some 30 corgis and dorgis (a mix between a corgi and a dachshund).
“My corgis are family,” Her Majesty once said. Indeed they were treated as such, joining the monarch in official images and portraits, and stealing the show with a starring role in the Queen’s skit alongside James Bond for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Following her passing, it was revealed that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will look after the Queen’s corgis after her death.
A spokesperson for the Duke of York revealed last week that he and Sarah, Duchess of York, will take on Muick and Sandy.
Prince Andrew gave his mother Muick, a corgi, and Fergus, a dorgi, during lockdown in 2021.
When Fergus died in May 2021, Prince Andrew’s daughters. Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, gifted their grandmother another corgi named Sandy.
“The corgis will return to live at Royal Lodge [on the Windsor Estate] with the Duke and Duchess,” a source close to Prince Andrew told the BBC.
A lifelong love affair with the adorable pooches began in 1933 when Elizabeth’s father brought home a puppy named Dookie.
That affection was cemented on her 18th birthday after her parents gifted Elizabeth a sweet dog of her own called Susan. So beloved was Susan, the royal even smuggled the pooch on her honeymoon by hiding her underneath a blanket in the carriage.
Over six decades, Her Majesty bred 14 generations of puppies descended from her “faithful companion”. She kept more than 30 for herself and gave others away to close friends and family. The Queen decided to discontinue breeding them in her later years over fear of some outliving her. The last of the line, Willow, passed away in 2018.
“She loves animals and she absolutely adores dogs,” says royal expert Ingrid Seward. “They were her first love and they will be her last.”
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