Queen Elizabeth mourns death of her last corgi, Willow

Queen Elizabeth is believed to have bred and raised more than 30 corgis.

April 18, 2018, 11:13 AM

Queen Elizabeth's beloved last corgi, Willow, died over the weekend, leaving the Queen devastated.

Willow was the last of corgis descended from Susan, a corgi given to a then 18-year-old Princess Elizabeth as a gift from her parents.

PHOTO: Queen Elizabeth II relaxes at Sandringham, Norfolk, England with her corgis in this undated file photo.
Queen Elizabeth II relaxes at Sandringham, Norfolk, England with her corgis in this undated file photo.
Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

The purebred dog was a 14th-generation corgi owned by Queen Elizabeth, who is believed to have bred and raised more than 30 corgis throughout her life.

Willow dutifully trotted alongside Queen Elizabeth in the James Bond video the monarch recorded with Daniel Craig for the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.

The dog was also at Queen Elizabeth’s side for her 90th birthday photos taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz in 2016.

The 91-year-old queen still has two corgis -- a dachshund corgi crossbreed -- named Vulcan and Candy. Queen Elizabeth also last year adopted another corgi, Whisper, from an estate worker at Sandringham.

PHOTO: Queen Elizabeth II with one of her corgis at Sandringham, 1970.
Queen Elizabeth II with one of her corgis at Sandringham, 1970.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
PHOTO: Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Aberdeen Airport with her corgis to start her holidays in Balmoral, Scotland in 1974.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Aberdeen Airport with her corgis to start her holidays in Balmoral, Scotland in 1974.
Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth's grandson, Prince Harry, remarked recently how her beloved corgis had immediately taken to his fiance, Meghan Markle, over tea.

"The corgis took to you straight away," Harry, 33, said of Markle, 36, during their first interview after their engagement last November.

"I've spent the last 33 years being barked at, this one walks in, absolutely nothing," Harry said adding they were "just wagging tails, and I was like, 'Argh.'"

Markle added that the dogs were "just laying on my feet during tea. It was very sweet."

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