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British RoyalsQueen Elizabeth II

Devastation for The Queen as one of her last remaining dogs dies

The Queen is mourning the loss of one of her beloved dorgis after her canine companion passed away a few weeks ago.

Vulcan, one of The Queen’s two remaining dorgis (a dachshund-corgi mix) is thought to have passed away at Windsor Castle, where Her Majesty and Prince Philip have been isolating, of unknown causes.

The Queen, who has kept a steady stream of corgi and dorgi companions from her early childhood through to the present day, now counts only Candy the dorgi as a pet. Her last remaining corgi, Willow, had to be put down in 2018 following a bout with cancer.

The Queen’s line of corgis has stemmed from Susan, a corgi gifted to the then-princess on her 18th birthday in 1944. The Queen’s line of dorgis came from breeding one of her corgis with one of Princess Margaret’s dachshunds, Pipkin, and there have been four: Vulcan, Candy, Cider and Berry.

A source close to The Queen told the Daily Mail that “Her Majesty adores her dogs and it’s always a blow, particularly now.”

The Queen decided not to breed any more corgis in 2015, reportedly because she does not want to leave behind any young animals when she passes.  

Since her accession in 1952, The Queen has reportedly owned more than 30 corgis. Her pets travel with her in the car or by private plane and have even appeared in films with The Queen. In 2012, for the London Summer Olympics, a few of The Queen’s corgis appeared in the James Bond tribute film shot at Buckingham Palace.

The news of Vulcan’s passing comes only weeks after The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared that their own English Cocker Spaniel had passed away.

“Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much. – W & C,” the couple wrote on their official Instagram account.

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.