Corgis and Queen Elizabeth have always gone hand in hand, and the late monarch owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis (corgi-dachshund mixes) during her lifetime. But she also was a lifelong aficionado of horses and other animals, including her lesser-known love of pigeons. In his new biography of the late Queen, author Robert Hardman shared that the monarch chose to keep her emotions in check in most situations—except when it came to animals.
In Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. Her Story, Hardman revealed that Queen Elizabeth “was especially reserved when it came to mourning” people. “For the most part, she avoided overt commiseration and non-family funerals, sending a representative instead,” Hardman wrote. The reason was entirely practical, however, with the author noting, “Were she to start attending, so the thinking went, she would soon find herself doing little else.”
