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Queen Elizabeth II’s Corgis To Take Center Stage During Platinum Jubilee Celebrations
Leo Shvedsky
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Never has one person been associated with one dog breed, nor has one dog breed been associated with one person as Queen Elizabeth and corgis. So, of course corgis will play a big part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, which honors 70 years on the throne.
There are corgi sculptures and pop-up pup cafes offering gravy-flavored puppuccinos in London. Corgis are featured on commemorative souvenirs, like pillows, mugs, ornaments, and biscuits. There’s even going to be a corgi procession, with a pack of the pups around a puppet of the Queen – just like real life if the Queen were a puppet and not a human.
As part of the four-day celebration, a corgi derby will take place at the Musselburgh Racecourse. It’s exactly as it sounds, and Paddy, a distant relative of one of the Queen’s own dogs, will take to the track.
Buckingham Palace has even released an emoji of a corgi wearing a crown named “PJ the corgi,” designed just for the occasion. And, yes, you can share him across your socials. It’s corgi madness!
The Queen’s first corgi, Susan, was a stowaway on her honeymoon, and since then, the Queen has been crazy for corgis. It’s believed that during her 70-year reign, the Queen has had over 30 corgis – all of which are decedents of her original corgi, Susan.
Now that the Queen is older, she’s worried about her corgis being alone, should something happen to the 96-year-old monarch. The Queen has stopped breading Susan’s original line after Willow, Susan’s last descendent, died in 2018.
The Queen now only has two corgis, Muick and Sandy, both of which were given to her by her family after the death of Prince Phillip. She also has one dorgi (a corgi-dachshund mix), Candy and a cocker spaniel named Lissy, which is a break in tradition for the woman synonymous with corgis.
Welsh corgis were added to the list of native breeds in danger of extinction by the Kennel Club. Currently, 1223 corgis have been registered across England, which is the highest figure in almost 30 years. Oddly the Queen is indirectly responsible for the uptick on corgi owners – the popularity of Netflix’s The Crown (and its portrayal of the corgi-owning Queen) is credited with the population expansion.
Congrats to the Queen on her 70 years of rule. Long live the Queen, and long live her corgis!
