We might as well be transparent from the outset, this article will have nothing objective: its author is herself the owner of a little corgi (yes, the very cute one, there, in the photo, just above). So we know what we’re talking about when we tell you that for corgis owners, it’s hard to take a single walk without hearing “look, it’s the queen’s dog”. And for good reason, the breed – originally from Wales – was widely popularized by Elizabeth II, who owned more than thirty during her life.
Seen alongside Her Majesty during official trips, foreign trips or receptions at Buckingham Palace, corgis have become inseparable from her image. And can now send him a big thank you, assuming that this word exists in canine language.
From Susan to Wilow
In 1933, young Elizabeth was only 9 years old when her father, King George VI, brought Dookie, a corgi a few months old, back to the palace. Love at first sight is immediate with this breed which takes its name from the Celtic “Cor gi”, meaning “dwarf dog”. Ten years later, for her 18th birthday, Elizabeth, who has become heiress to the throne, is offered her own dog – corgi -, Susan. A gift that will mark the beginning of a long royal line. Decades pass and in April 2018, it is the blow for His Majesty who loses Wilow, the last descendant of this canine dynasty. Three years later, in 2021, Elizabeth II decides to acquire two new puppies, Muick and Sandy, a comfort when her husband Philip dies.
But seventy years of reign is a long time, and the prestige of corgis – like the monarchy, for that matter – has had its ups and downs. According to the very prestigious Kennel Club, a British cynological association, the popularity of the breed jumped 56% after the arrival of Susan, the corgi offered to Elizabeth II at her majority, before reaching its peak after her coronation. “After this ‘finest hour’, the popularity of the breed plummeted,” explains the association on its website.
Stars of the small screens
The revival will take place much later, through cinema, television and advertising. In 2012, in a video shot for the opening of the Summer Olympics in London, one of the royal corgis appeared alongside the Queen and James Bond – played by Daniel Craig.
In 2017, this is the series The Crown which gives a new boost. After the first season aired, Corgi Pembroke puppy births increased by 16%, then by 47% in 2018, after the highly anticipated second season, according to the Kennel Club, which was able to remove the breed from the list of those in danger of extinction.
And the phenomenon did not stop there: let us quote pell-mell the cartoon Royal Corgisthe hit series The Bridgerton Chronicle and, most recently, a corgi emoji, wearing a purple crown, created on Twitter to mark the Queen’s Jubilee in June 2022. “She was a precursor to the breed. Somewhere the circle is complete. The queen is no longer there, but the corgis will always be the queen’s dogs”, explains Adeline, who manages a breeding in the Tarn, “The crusades of Tyam”.
“I received 400 phone calls for a single litter”
As a result, breeders are overwhelmed with requests, especially in France. “Ten years ago, there were only about ten breeders in France, today, nearly a hundred. And we are always overwhelmed”, explains Jocelyne, owner of the breeding “La Caverne des Anges”, in Yonne. And she’s not the only one. “Last year, I received 400 phone calls for a single litter, people were reserving the puppy ten months before. It was amazing”, says Sandrine, owner of the breeding “Du Royaume des Anges de Lylu”.
If the queen is gone, the corgis still have a few good years ahead of them, according to specialists. “In the coming months, things won’t calm down, I even think we’ll receive even more requests,” adds the breeder. “We are almost in a historical dimension. It will always remain the queen’s dogs, ”adds Adeline.
At Buckingham Palace, therefore, no more corgis – and their famous fluffy buttocks -. Muick and Sandy, the last two four-legged companions of Elizabeth II, were adopted by her son, Prince Andrew – who gave them to her by the way –. These are the two Jack Russels of King Charles III and Camilla, Beth and Bluebell, who should therefore logically take their place. But to 20 minutes, we are working on another theory. And if the Cavaliers King Charles became the new official companions of House Windsor? (You have it ?). Come on, it deserves a little “God save the Corgi”.