Queen Elizabeth loves dogs more than anything – and pampers them like royalty. This includes a ritual in which the Queen herself regularly gets down on her knees in front of her dogs.
The Queen (96) is known for her great love of dogs – especially short-legged corgis. This passion began at the age of 18 when Elizabeth got her first Welsh Corgi, Susan.
The Queen’s favorite dog was even buried on the estate of Sandringham House after his death, with a tombstone designed by Her Majesty herself.
Elizabeth and Margaret bred their own breed of dog
To date, the Queen cuddled and raised over 30 of her own dogs. Among them, however, were not only corgis. Together with her sister Margaret († 71), Queen Elizabeth bred a completely new breed: the dorgi – a mix of corgi and dachshund.
It is impossible to imagine the royal palaces without these fluffy four-legged friends. In the spring of 2021, Prince Andrew (62) gave his mother two dog puppies: Fergus and Muick. They were supposed to cheer up and distract the Queen when Prince Philip († 99) was feeling worse and worse. Unfortunately, Fergus died after only a few months – shortly after Prince Philip’s death, of all things. Now, in addition to Corgi Muick, Dorgi Candy and Cocker Spaniel Lissy live with the Queen.
Own menu and treats for the royal corgis
That the dogs of a queen truly reside royally themselves is shown by the life of Queen Elizabeth’s four-legged friends. It is known that the dogs never get canned food. For the pets, the Queen checks daily the menu specially prepared by the chefs. It usually consists of fresh, cooked meat such as lamb, beef or chicken with vegetables or rice. These dishes are served with a small cookie or a special sauce, which the Queen herself is said to have created – so that the food is not so dry.
As a snack between meals, the Queen feeds a very special treat that is forbidden: raisin buns with cream and strawberry jam – served on a silver tray, of course. Any vet would forbid this unhealthy snack, but the British queen loves to spoil her four-legged friends.
Not only the food the animals eat is extraordinary, but also the ritual for feeding the dogs shows how fond the Queen is of her pets. The corgis and dorgis are not simply served their menu in a bowl. The Queen herself feeds her pets – on her knees. She has the corgis sit around her in a semicircle and feeds the dogs one after the other in the order of their age from silver and porcelain bowls. Since the dogs are well behaved, she says they actually wait their turn to eat.
Those who are familiar with the daily feeding ritual are no longer surprised by the other amenities that are granted to the royal dogs. For example, the four-legged friends are allowed to come along on state visits abroad and travel on the Queen’s lap – instead of in the back seat of a car, for example. And the sleeping quarters of the royal fur noses are also something special: the dogs sleep in their own spacious bedroom in raised wicker beds. The sheets of these beds are changed every day – a tradition that was probably introduced by Queen Mom († 101).
British tradition: William, Kate, Harry and Meghan also have dogs
As bizarre as the Queen’s infatuation with her own dogs is, it seems to be a tradition of the British royal family. Even Queen Victoria († 81) had a favorite dog, a dachshund named Boy. William (39) and Kate (40) recently moved in with cocker spaniel Lupo, and Harry (37) and Meghan (40) have two dogs living with them: Labrador Pula and beagle Guy. For the British royals, fluffy four-legged friends are simply part of the family.