Queen Elizabeth II: Her love of the Corgi gave us a lifetime of special moments and memories

On September 8, news broke around the world that Queen Elizabeth II, one of the longest reigning monarchs had died at the age of 96.

Over the years, Queen Elizabeth was an iconic symbol of stability in an ever changing world. But when it comes to just one of the things that we loved most about the Queen, it would have to be her love of Corgis.

Perhaps the most notable dog lover in the world, the Queen was a long time Corgi owner, with endless stories about her royal dogs and the ways that she incorporated them into her every day life. As the New York Post shared, Corgis had been a part of Elizabeth’s life long before she became Queen and even before she met her future husband, Philip. In fact, her obsession with these iconic dogs dates back to 1933, when the then 7-year-old requested her very own Pembroke Welsh Corgi after visiting with a friend who owned one.

"And while dogs have been a part of the royal family since at least the days of Queen Victoria, per Vanity Fair, the Queen’s bond with corgis was something completely singular.In fact, the royal loved her dogs so much that she created her own hybrid breed with her sister Princess Margaret in the 1970s called the “dorgi” — a cross between a dachshund and a corgi."

Queen Elizabeth II’s love of the Corgi spanned an entire lifetime of memories and iconic moments

Of course, her love of Corgis is so well noted, that even we have looked back at times to fun moments in history where the Queen and her Corgis took center stage in their own way. Among the stories that have stood out (at least for us), we have the time when Queen Elizabeth II had one of her Corgis carry her purse during an event, or even the fact that the Queen, at one point, had a special decoration in her garden dedicated to her love of the Corgi.

But perhaps the most iconic Corgi in the Queen’s long life would have to be the one that truly started it all (at least in terms of the royal Corgis), Susan. Susan was the Corgi gifted to a then 18-year-old Elizabeth. This is the dog who would see the Queen through some of her most momentous events in life. Susan was at the Queen’s side for her coronation, her wedding, and apparently the pup even joined the royal on her honeymoon.

Susan was also the very start of the royal Corgis, as she gave birth to a litter of puppies that began the tradition of Corgis in the palace. In fact, the final descendent of Susan was Willow, a Corgi who passed away in 2015. And it has been said that when Willow passed, it hit the Queen particularly hard since that pup was the last of Susan’s line.

Of course, even after Willow’s death, there were Corgis and Dorgis in the palace.

During her 2022 Jubilee celebration, her love of Corgis was on full display. From artwork featuring the Queen and a Corgi to a Corgi light display in the sky, everyone knew that this was the royal dog breed of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

With the Queen no longer with us, we can’t help but wonder if there will ever be another historical figure quite like her, whether in terms of her love of dogs or just the way that she lived her life in service to her people. And yes, we are also wondering what happens next with her beloved Corgis and Dorgis, because in her final days she still had her favorite animals at her side.

In fact, at the time of her death, “the queen leaves behind four dogs, including two Corgis, one Dorgi named Candy and a Cocker Spaniel called Lissy.”

So as we wait to see what comes next for the British Royal Family, we can’t help but feel sadness over the loss of someone who truly understood what it means to be a dog lover and who showed the world the magic of the iconic Corgi.