The Queen was sweetly interrupted by her beloved pet dog Candy as she carried out a memorabilia viewing at Windsor Castle, ahead of the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne on 6 February.
On Sunday she will make history as the first British monarch ever to reign for seven decades, and ahead of the date, Buckingham Palace shared the photograph of her stroking the dorgi – a cross between a corgi and a dachshund – as she viewed a display of memorabilia from previous jubilee celebrations last month.
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Her inquisitive pet was clearly keen to take a look too, trotting into the Oak Room at Windsor Castle to join her mistress. "And where did you come from?" asked the Queen giving her a stroke, then adding: "I know what you want," as the elderly dog wandered away again.
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The monarch has owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis during her reign and as well as Candy, she has a young corgi called Muick and another corgi puppy.
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The new photographs were taken before the monarch left for Sandringham, to mark her historic milestone in the place where her father, King George VI, passed away in his sleep in the early hours of 6 February 1952. The anniversary has always been a poignant one for the Queen and she traditionally spends it privately.
Touchingly, in these photographs, she is seen wearing a pair of aquamarine and diamond clip brooches by Boucheron, given to her by the late King for her 18th birthday in April 1944.
The Queen strokes her pet dog Candy during a memorabilia viewing
Her Majesty clearly enjoyed reviewing some of the thousands of cards and art works sent to her by well-wishers over the years. She laughed at one card celebrating the 2002 Golden Jubilee. Made from eight bottle tops including milk, Coca-Cola and Schweppes bottles, it read simply, "Ma'am You're The Tops".
"That's good, simple but ingenious," said the Queen to Dr Stella Panayotova, librarian and assistant keeper of the royal archives.
The display also included a Golden Jubilee letter from a nine-year-old boy called Chris, entitled "A Recipe For A Perfect Queen". "That's quite fun, isn't it?" laughed the Queen as she was told the list of ingredients included "500ml of royal blood", a "dab of jewels and posh gowns" and "a dash of loyalty."
She enjoyed reviewing cards and artwork sent to her from previous jubilee celebrations
Her Majesty was also shown Platinum Jubilee cards and recipes and pictures of entries to the Platinum Pudding competition by cooks who have risen to the challenge of creating a memorable dessert fit for the Queen and the nation.
She became Queen overnight on 6 February 1952 when her father the King, who had been treated for lung cancer, died at Sandringham in the early hours. The then Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour with the Duke of Edinburgh and on hearing the news, immediately returned to London, where she was officially proclaimed Queen the following day.
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