The Queen's pet dog Holly has sadly passed away aged 13. The corgi was one of the dogs to star in the 2012 James Bond London Olympics sketch.
The dog was suffering from old age and was put down at Balmoral last week after suffering from an illness, leaving Her Majesty with three surviving pet dogs, a corgi named Willow and two corgi-dachshund crosses, Vulcan and Candy.
The Queen's beloved corgi passed away last week
Although a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace has called the dog's passing "a private matter", a source reportedly told the Daily Mail that the monarch was "deeply upset" by Holly's passing.
"The Queen was deeply upset but she doesn't like seeing her dogs suffer," the source told the publication.
"Holly had reached a very good age. She gets more unsettled if they are distressed and she knows that putting a dog down is often the kindest solution. She was devoted to Holly and wherever the Queen was, the dog was never far behind."
Willow was included in one of the portraits for the Queen's 90th birthday, along with her other three pet dogs. Although the Queen usually has several pet corgis, it was recently revealed that she is keen not to breed any more of the dogs.
© Photo: PAThe Queen is known to have a love of corgi
Monty Roberts, a horse trainer who has previously given advice to the Queen, told Vanity Fair: "She didn't want to have any more young dogs. She didn't want to leave any young dog behind. She wanted to put an end to it."
Her Majesty had previously named one of her dogs after her friend, and following the dog's death in 2012 Monty said: "Dogs live for less time than human beings and we know we're going to lose them – but they are part of the Queen's family. She'll be quite upset about the death of Monty."
