The Queen Mother's love of corgis is being celebrated at the Castle of Mey on International Dog Day, shining a spotlight on the little dogs that became one of the most recognisable symbols of the British Royal Family. Few royal companions were as closely associated with Queen Elizabeth II as her beloved Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Over her 70-year reign, she owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis, turning the breed into an unmistakable part of her public image.
Elizabeth was just seven years old when her father, the Duke of York, brought a corgi into the family home in 1933. The young Princess had fallen for the breed after seeing one belonging to friends and was determined to have a dog of her own. Her father approached respected breeder Thelma Gray, who brought three puppies from her Rozavel kennels in Surrey for the family to choose from. The puppy they selected was officially named Rozavel Golden Eagle, but he soon became known by a far more memorable name: Dookie.
Dookie may have been adorable, but he was hardly a model royal resident. The young corgi reportedly had a mischievous streak and became notorious for biting courtiers and visitors. Yet his unruly behaviour did little to hurt his popularity. A photograph of Princess Elizabeth with the tiny dog helped introduce the public to the breed and gave the Pembroke Welsh Corgi a remarkable boost in profile.
For Elizabeth's 18th birthday in 1944, she was given Susan, the corgi who would become the foundation of a remarkable royal bloodline. Descendants of Susan formed a 14-generation line of royal dogs, while the Queen also helped popularise the dorgi, a corgi-dachshund cross. For decades, the dogs were more than pets, travelling with the monarch and becoming woven into her reign until her passing in September 2022, when her remaining corgis were taken in by Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.