A golden-colored Corgi dog with white markings on its chest and paws, seated in a formal room within Buckingham Palace. 3:47
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Queen Elizabeth II and the corgis at her feet

Queen Elizabeth II rarely crossed a room by herself. Somewhere near her ankles, there was nearly always a corgi. more

It started with Susan. The Queen was given her first corgi as a present on her 18th birthday, and from then on the dogs were part of the family. The breed became famous around the world thanks to her and the royal family.

At Buckingham Palace, the corgis didn't wait in another room when visitors came. They lay at her feet while she met guests from other countries and turned up under chairs and behind people's legs. When the Queen moved, they followed.

Not every guest got a clear path. Now and then she had to tell a dog to get out of the way so she could say hello, then ask the whole crew to lie down by her feet and behave. It made for a funny sight: a queen greeting an important guest while sorting out a small corgi traffic jam.

A golden-colored Corgi dog with white markings on its chest and paws, seated in a formal room within Buckingham Palace. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Queen Elizabeth II rarely crossed a room by herself.

Her guests didn't seem to mind. People lit up the moment the dogs came over to meet them, and for all the coming and going, the corgis stayed calm around company. Anyone whose dog goes wild when visitors walk in would like to know how she managed it.

She had time for other dogs as well. At public events, dogs were lined up to meet her, and she greeted them politely, often with a light tap of her finger on the nose. Service and working dogs, many of them bigger than her corgis, got a bright smile.

None of the corgis knew they lived with a queen. To them she was only their person, and wherever she went, they went.