The Queen's last homebred corgi, Willow, passes away at age 15
The Queen's beloved corgi, Willow, has passed away. The royal dog, who was a grand 15 years old, had to be put down after suffering with cancer for a while. It is the first time since World War II that the British monarch hasn't owned a corgi.
The royal dog was a 14th generation descended from Susan, who was a corgi gifted to the then Princess Elizabeth on her 18th birthday.
Following Susan, the Queen has owned more than 30 corgis in the duration of her reign. Back in 2015, The Telegraph reported the Queen had decided to stop breeding her beloved corgis as she didn't want to leave any of them behind after her death.
Willow is survived by Vulcan and Candy who are not corgis but are actually 'dorgis', a corgi-daschund mix-breed resulting from Princess Margaret’s dachshund Pipkin mating with one of the Queen’s dogs.
The two dorgis appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in 2016 along with Willow. The special shoot was for the Queen's 90th birthday.
Willow also debuted in the 2012 London Olympics opening sketch in which actor Daniel Craig comes in to escort the Queen as his character James Bond. Monty and Holly, the Queen's other corgis, along with Willow, welcome Mr. Bond as he arrives at the palace to make leave with Her Majesty. Monty passed away a few months after the sketch was filmed, while Holly was put down in 2016.
It's never easy to lose a beloved pet. Royal or not, the corgis were family to Her Majesty, and are surely missed. Our deepest condolences to the Queen during her difficult time. We hope your dorgis give you some much-needed puppy love, Your Majesty.