What will happen to the Queen's corgis? Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York to look after dogs

File photo dated 19/3/2020 of Queen Elizabeth II leaving Buckingham Palace, London, with a dog riding in her car as she headed to Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic. PA
The Queen with one of her corgis during lockdown, when the Duke of York gifted her two puppies. Credit: PA

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will look after the Queen beloved corgis Muick and Sandy following her death, it has been announced.

The late monarch was gifted two puppies by her son, the Duke of York, at Windsor during last year's lockdown.

The puppies kept the monarch entertained while her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was in hospital.

The Queen named Fergus the dorgi after her uncle, who was killed in action during the First World War, and the corgi Muick (pronounced Mick) after Loch Muick on the Balmoral estate.

The Queen pictured with another of her dorgis, Candy, at Windsor Castle in February. Credit: PA

But the monarch was devastated when five-month-old Fergus died just weeks later, in the aftermath of Philip’s death.

He was later replaced with a new corgi puppy, from Andrew's daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, for her official 95th birthday.

The Queen named the dog Sandy.

The Queen and Andrew taking the dogs for a walk in the grounds of Balmoral Credit: PA

A spokeswoman for Andrew confirmed on Sunday that he and the Duchess of York will take on Muick and Sandy.

According to the Queen's dresser, Angela Kelly, the puppies provided great joy to the monarch through the pandemic.

A corgi outside Buckingham Palace as people paid their respects following the Queen's death Credit: PA

The Queen owned more than 30 corgis during her reign and was known to have worried about arranging their custody after her death.

American horse trainer Monty Roberts, who is a personal friend of the monarch, told Vanity Fair magazine in 2012 he had offered to find one to replace a pet that died.

Roberts said: "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."

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Most of the Queen’s corgis descended from her first, Susan, who was an 18th birthday present.

Susan even joined her on her honeymoon to Hampshire in 1947.

Willow was among the most familiar corgis of the final years of the Queen's reign.

The then-Princess Elizabeth holding a corgi in 1950. Credit: PA

The 14th-generation Royal Corgi starred in a London 2012 Olympic sketch with the Queen, alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond.

Andrew and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, were reunited on Saturday to view tributes and thank well-wishers at the gates of Balmoral.

Asked by a mourner how things were, Andrew said: “We’ve been allowed one day, now we start the process of handing her on.”

The remarkable life of the Queen remembered in our latest episode of What You Need To Know