Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will look after the Queen’s corgis after her death, it has been confirmed.
A spokesperson for the Duke of York said he and Sarah, Duchess of York, will take on Muick and Sandy – two dogs the late monarch received as gifts.
In 2021, during lockdown, Prince Andrew gifted his mother, Queen Elizabeth, Muick, a corgi, and Fergus, a dorgi. When Fergus died in May 2021, in the aftermath of Prince Philip’s death, he was replaced with another corgi, Sandy – a gift from Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie for her official 95th birthday.
The Queen named the dorgi – a dachshund-corgi cross – Fergus after her uncle, who was killed in action during the first world war, and the corgi Muick, pronounced Mick, after Loch Muick on the Balmoral estate.
Angela Kelly, the Queen’s dresser, said at the time: “I was worried they would get under the Queen’s feet, but they have turned out to be a godsend. They are beautiful and great fun and the Queen often takes long walks with them in Home Park.”
The Queen’s lifelong love of corgis was well documented and she reportedly said that “my corgis are family”.
Her father, George VI, had a male corgi called Dookie and, over the Queen’s lifetime, she owned more than 30, mostly descended from her first, Susan, an 18th birthday gift from him.
The dogs, which Diana, Princess of Wales, called “moving carpets”, slept in their own corgi room in wicker baskets lined with cushions, and were reportedly fed fresh rabbit and beef by a gourmet chef.
Some of their names included: Whisky, Sherry, Sugar, Myth, Mint, Buzz, Brush, Geordie, Smoky, Dash, Dime, Disco and Dipper.
The last corgi to descend from Susan died in 2018.
In 2012, the trio of Monty, Willow and Holly featured alongside the Queen and Daniel Craig in the James Bond sketch she filmed for the London Olympics.
Her fondness for the breed was also celebrated during Platinum Jubilee events in June, with a gathering of 70 corgis at Balmoral and a “corgi derby” at Musselburgh racecourse.
The Queen was also credited with introducing the dorgi, after an unscheduled encounter between her corgi, Tiny, and Princess Margaret’s dachshund, Pipkin. She was so enamoured with the resultant pups that she decided to breed more over the years.
On Thursday, Sarah paid tribute to the Queen on Instagram, saying she was “the most incredible mother-in-law and friend” to her and she would miss her “more than words can express”.
Despite being divorced since 1996, the Duke and Duchess of York still live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor. A source told The Telegraph this week: “The Duchess bonded with Her Majesty over dog walking and riding horses and, even after her divorce, she would continue her great friendship with Her Majesty, by walking the dogs in Frogmore and chatting.”
Andrew, 62, the third child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, stepped down from royal duties in 2020 after being accused of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre, allegations he has consistently denied.
The royal biographer Ingrid Seward said on Saturday amid speculation over who would care for the dogs: “It would seem most logical that the corgis go to Andrew … Let’s face it, he hasn’t got anything else to do.”
