the queen corgis

The Queen saddened by death of her last corgi Whisper

Whisper was 12 years old

Content Managing Editor
October 26, 2018

The Queen has bid a sad farewell to her pet dog Whisper, who sadly died last week aged 12. The monarch had adopted the corgi after owner Bill Fenwick, a former gamekeeper at Sandringham, passed away in January 2017. According to the Daily Mail, Whisper is understood to have fallen ill some weeks ago, but was well enough to travel back from Scotland to Windsor at the end of the Queen's summer break. Vets were called in to Windsor Castle last week, where Whisper sadly died. Buckingham Palace had no comment to make when HELLO! contacted.

queens corgis4

The Queen has been surrounded by her dogs for years

The Queen is still the proud owner of Candy and Vulcan, who famously made an appearance in the 2012 James Bond London Olympics sketch. But the dogs are corgi-dachshund crosses and not full corgis. The Queen's last corgi which she reared herself – Willow – died in April this year.

MORE: A look at the Queen's corgis' menu

The monarch's corgis have been keeping her in good canine company for years. She received her first corgi, Susan, when she was 18, and even took the little pooch on her honeymoon with Prince Philip. She also grew up surrounded by corgis as a young girl.

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Her pets, who have mainly been descendants of Susan, have, on occasion, played starring roles in the Queen's public life. Apart from the hilarious London 2012 Olympics sketch, Holly, Willow, Vulcan and Candy also joined the Queen in her official 90th birthday portrait, shot by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. Sadly, six months after the photos were released, Holly passed away.

MORE: James Martin bonded with the Queen over her corgis

The Queen decided to stop rearing corgis a few years ago, as she didn't want any of them to outlive her and worried about who would look after them.

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