Among the many changes brought to Britain by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, one of them will also affect the tiniest members of the royal family: the monarch’s four royal dogs. These are two corgi dogs, one dorgi (a cross between a corgi and a dachshund) and a cocker spaniel.

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment on who would look after the dogs named Candy, Lisey, Mike and Sandy from now on. What is certain is that the house they will live in will not be the size of a castle. As reporters and people close to the palace suggest, the dogs may be separated and end up in different families. However, Charles, who will be officially crowned on Saturday, prefers Jack Russell Terriers to Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

The Queen has owned over 30 dogs, many of which were corgis, during her 70-year reign on the throne. But corgis don’t have a long history of royalty. Elizabeth and her sister Margaret were the first members of the royal family to have puppies of this breed when they were young princesses in 1933. Their father, King George VI and later the Duke of York, brought them a puppy named Dukey. Another corgi soon joined the royal family, Jane, who lived with them until 1944, when she was hit by a car. For her 18th birthday, Elizabeth gave away another Corgi, a two-month-old puppy named Sue, who became popularly known as Susan.

“Susan was with her when she met Prince Philip and accompanied her on their honeymoon when she later learned her father had died. Suzanne was a very loving dog,” said Kiara Farrell, manager of the UK’s largest dog advocacy organisation. During her reign, Elizabeth took dogs with her on all trips, including transatlantic ones. In fact, he took many pictures with them on their walk around Windsor Castle.

Corgis have been closely associated with the royal family and have also appeared in popular culture portraying the monarchy, especially in the last decade. Willow, who is believed to be a descendant of Susan, was one of three Corgis starring in the skit that opened the London 2012 Olympics.

But in addition to Corgis, the Queen also had hunting dogs, Labradors and Cocker Spaniels, who lived at Sandringham House in Norfolk.

In 2021, the Queen received two more puppies, a corgi and a dorgi – gifts from her son Prince Andrew, according to Britain’s Daily Mail website – as the UK entered a months-long lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Local media reported that the queen took long walks with her dogs when she was 90 years old and older.

According to The New York Times