Many of Queen Elizabeth II's Beloved Corgis Are Descendants of Dog Gifted to Her on 18th Birthday

Most of the queen's more than 30 dogs descended from Susan, a corgi gifted to her on her 18th birthday.

In so many of the photos of Queen Elizabeth II, she can be seen with her beloved corgis — a breed of dogs she's had since she was a young woman.

The short-legged pooches were the queen’s steadfast companions for nearly eight decades, and they were with her until the very end.

“These corgis definitely had a front seat to history alongside the queen. They saw everyone who came through the palace to meet the queen,” said Erin Hill, senior royals editor at People Magazine.

It all started with Susan, the pup gifted to the queen on her 18th birthday. The lucky dog even tagged along on her honeymoon with Prince Philip. She went on to own more than 30 dogs during her reign, with most of them descending from Susan.

From Susan came 14 generations of corgis, including Sugar, Honey, Shadow, Minnie and the last one — Willow. 

Donna Lewis runs Hudson Valley Corgis in New York.

"If it wasn't for the queen, the average person wouldn't know about the corgi," Lewis said.

Queen Elizabeth II left behind four dogs, some of which were gifts from her son Prince Andrew. It remains to be seen where they will go.

The queen herself is also credited with creating a breed of dog called dorgi, a dachshund-corgi mix.  

Visit our latest coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's passing to stay up to date.

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