The Queen’s beloved Corgis remained by her bedside in her final hours: Faithful pets Muick and Sandy ‘were with the late monarch at Balmoral’
- Her beloved corgis were on the Queen’s deathbed, palace sources say
- She had received Muick – named after Loch Muick – as a gift from Prince Andrew
- The late queen always loved her corgis and she owned 30 during her 70-year reign
- She brought in behavioral expert Dr Roger Mugford to help manage the pack
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Two of the late Queen’s corgis were alongside Her Majesty in her final hours, according to The Mail on Sunday.
Beloved pets Muick and Sandy were “with her in the room” on her deathbed on September 8, according to palace sources.
Muick and Sandy touched people’s hearts with their poignant appearance at Windsor Castle on the Queen’s final trip on Monday.
Prince Andrew had given Muick, named after Loch Muick on the Balmoral Estate, and pronounced ‘Mick’, to the Queen as a pup, along with another named Fergus. When Fergus died three months later, another corgi, Sandy, was found to replace him with the help of the Queen’s granddaughter, Princess Beatrice.
Although the Queen adored her corgis, her pets did not always return her unwavering loyalty. In the 1980s, she was pinched in the hand by a corgi and needed stitches.
Muick and Sandy touched people’s hearts with their poignant appearance at Windsor Castle on the Queen’s final trip on Monday (pictured)
The late queen has always adored her corgis, owning 30 during her 70-year reign. Pictured: One of the last published photographs of the Queen, which saw her celebrate her Jubilee in February
After that, she recruited a behavioral expert, Dr. Roger Mugford, to help her manage the pack, which had by then grown to nine. One of them was so unruly that he was sent to live with the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne.
When Dr Mugford advised the Queen to have fewer dogs, she replied: ‘Dr Mugford, Prince Philip once told me I had too many dogs. If I had wanted advice like that, I could have saved your fees.
Undeterred, the monarch continued to expand her collection of corgis and other dogs, owning 30 in total during her 70-year reign.
The first Pembroke Welsh Corgi she owned was Susan, a gift for her 18th birthday in 1944. Susan died in 1959 and is buried in Sandringham Pet Cemetery.
In 1971, the Queen was credited with inventing the dorgi, after her corgi Tiny crossed with her sister Princess Margaret’s dachshund Pipkin.
Prince Andrew (pictured visiting the dogs on Monday) had given Muick, named after Loch Muick on the Balmoral estate, and pronounced ‘Mick’, to the Queen as a pup, along with another named Fergus
The first Pembroke Welsh corgi owned by Elizabeth was Susan (pictured), a present for her 18th birthday in 1944
Last week Dr Mugford said animals were ‘psychologically so important’ to the Queen’s happiness, adding he thought they would be happy living in the familiar surroundings of Prince Andrew’s Royal home Lodge, at Windsor Great Park.
The Queen’s other dog, Lissy, whose pedigree name is Wolferton Drama, is the current Kennel Club Cocker Spaniel Champion.
While the Queen bred corgis until 2015, she has resisted taking on dogs in recent years as she didn’t want to leave any behind. She accepted Muik and Sandy on the basis that either Prince Andrew or Princess Beatrice would get them back.
Just as her family had planned, they were with her until the end.
