Viewers couldn't help but be confused when Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were joined by a special Corgi on This Morning. The daytime show returned on Tuesday (September 13) with the presenting pair at the helm for another special programme paying tribute to the Queen.
The shortened programme, on from 10am to 12pm, saw the duo discussing the latest news about the Queen's funeral and King Charles' most recent trip as part of his new role, as reported by MEN. They returned to screens on Monday with another special edition of the show, the first time it has been on air since the Queen's death was announced.
Queen Elizabeth died last Thursday, September 8, peacefully at Balmoral, her Scottish Highlands home. The announcement was made by Buckingham Palace at around 6.30pm, hours after they confirmed the monarch was under medical supervision with doctors concerned for her health.
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During the latest edition of This Morning, Holly and Phillip were joined by those who have met the Queen, sharing their own personal stories, as well as looking back at the Queen's iconic fashion statements over the years and meeting the man who helped Her Majesty keep her beloved Corgis in check.
The Queen's former corgi trainer, Roger Mugford, appeared live on the famous sofa as the monarch became known for her love of the breed, owning 30 in her lifetime with her first, Susan, being gifted to her on her 18th birthday. Roger appeared on the programme to chat about his time spent with the Queen and her beloved dogs.
And he brought a little four-legged friend with him. He was joined by Snowdon, who he says lives in Windsor and is a distant relation to the Queen's corgis. After clarifying her sex and name, Holly, 41, asked if Snowdon was 'friendly' and if she was able to give her a fuss.
While not Roger's dog, he allowed the host and her co-star Phillip, 60, to get a bit closer before getting out a bag of treats to entice her into moving over to see them. With Snowdon quite comfortable cosying up to their guest, Holly and Phillip got on with talking to Roger about his encounters with the Queen.
He recalled her having a 'pack' of Corgi's - up to 11 - at once and during one visit, he asked if she had considered letting go of a few as he suggested she had 'too many'. Roger said the Queen told him she isn't telling him anything the late Prince Phillip hadn't already. But the Queen wasn't impressed with his advice of getting rid of some and was quick to respond. "If I knew that was going to be your advice I wouldn't have invited you round," Phillip revealed the Queen as saying.
Roger, who explained that the problem was with fights among the dogs, laughed and added: "Though sometimes it's the job of an advisor, consultant, or specialist to give unwelcome advice. And actually, Chipper did go to live with Princess Anne and lived and long, happy life."
Before the end of the interview, Roger tried to hand Holly a treat to feed Snowdon as they wrapped up the interview. But as Holly went to put out her hand, she panicked, pulled her hand back and dropped the treat. "I dropped it," she said. "I've got a dog, why am I so useless?" she said high-pitched.
She then explained: "It's because I don't know... it's someone else's dog. Sorry, I'm really bad." The mum-of-three, who is also a dog-mum to her Labrador Bailey, then tried again and successfully gave a patient Snowdon a treat. But This Morning viewers were quick to flock to social media to comment on Holly's hesitance.
@HarteElisabeth tweeted: "Just switched over in time to witness Holly the natural dog owner #thismorning." @DookieDoo47 commented: "Can you believe Holly Willoughby, the animal lover, couldn't give a little Corgi a dog treat."
Others, however, were distracted by the adorable pooch. @Charlie__Tweets wrote: "Awwww the Corgi she is adorable! #ThisMorning." @onlysmols tweeted: "Brb just going getting a Corgi... #ThisMorning."
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