The Queen's corgis were 'there to comfort her' when she died

They were faithful companions till the end.

(Original Caption) Royal Family at Balmoral. Princess Anne tempts the queen's corgi, Sugar, with a ball, and the Duke of Edinburgh's dog, Candy, looks up at Queen Elizabeth, as with the duke and Prince Charles they walk in the grounds of Balmoral Castle during the royal family's summer holiday, August 1955. The castle, private property of the sovereign, at Deeside, West Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was bought by Prince Albert in 1852 for $31,000. The castle was rebuilt three years later. The castle was Queen Victoria's favorite residence and she often held court there. Since then the royal family have kept up the annual custom of staying at Balmoral during the shooting season. The sporting estate abounds with grouse and red deer.

Queen Elizabeth II was famously incredibly fond of her corgis throughout her life, having owned the dog breed from when she was a child and up until she died at 96 years old.

The late monarch’s two surviving corgis even reportedly stayed by her side as she lay on her deathbed, a source has claimed.

“Queen Elizabeth’s beloved corgis were with her in her final hours in her room at Balmoral,” the source told Entertainment Tonight. They “were there to comfort the Queen.”

At the time of her death on 8th September, the monarch owned two corgis – Muick and Sandy – and reportedly also owned two cocker spaniels, though this is unconfirmed.

The two corgis made headlines when they were brought out to welcome Her Majesty’s coffin as she made her way to her final resting place in Windsor, following her 19th September funeral.

Muick and Sandy were given to the late monarch in 2021 by her son, Prince Andrew, and his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, who are now taking care of the dogs following the Queen’s passing. The two live together in Windsor, where the monarch kept her official residence in her latter years.

The Queen’s corgis had something of a cult following among royal fans throughout her reign, with corgi toys and trinkets available to buy from Royal Palace gift shops, and people also loved hearing the stories that sometimes came out about the dogs misbehaving in hilarious and adorable ways.

For example, a guest of the Queen’s once tripped over one of her corgis while walking backwards away from her out of respect. Although he was mortified, the late monarch reassured him that the corgis were always lying around all over the place and that it wasn’t his fault.

Her dog Candy also went viral when she interrupted one of her owner’s royal engagements in February 2022.

Sadly, Candy – who was 18 years old – died shortly before the Queen herself passed away, as reported by Sky News Australia.

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