Buckingham Palace Celebrates International Dog Day with Vintage Photos of Royals and Their Pups

Royal Collection Trust/Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The royal family is honoring their treasured pets!

On Friday – otherwise known as International Dog Day – Buckingham Palace opened the archives to share a series of photos of monarchs and their dogs.

"On #InternationalDogDay take a look through some of our favorite photographs in the Royal Collection that feature some of The Royal Family's canine partners throughout history," an Instagram post read.

"The images are a just a few of the 450,000+ photographs that are held in the Royal Collection," the palace added, linking to the extensive records of the Royal Collection Trust.

The carousel of black and white shots from the 19th and 20th centuries included images of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret with a corgi in childhood, their father, King George VI, holding another dog of the same breed, and their grandfather, King George V, smiling with a pug.

Other canines made cameos in pictures with Queen Victoria, her son King Edward VII and his wife Queen Alexandra, and their children Prince Albert Victor, Prince George (who would become king) and Princess Louise of Wales.

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A love of dogs still runs in the royal family today, and Queen Elizabeth continues to keep corgis, famously her favorite breed, having owned them her entire adult life. Last summer, the 96-year-old monarch was gifted a 6-week-old corgi from her son Prince Andrew and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, The Sun reported at the time. She reportedly welcomed the dog on what would have been her late husband Prince Philip's 100th birthday.

The new addition came just weeks the sudden death of Fergus, one of two new puppies given to her while Prince Philip was hospitalized in March 2021. Fergus was thought to have been a dorgi (a corgi crossed with a dachshund), and was named after the Queen's late uncle Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who died during World War I in 1915.

Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Kate Middleton also all have dogs at home. Charles and Camilla share two rescue dogs, Jack Russell Terriers named Beth and Bluebell, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge own a cocker spaniel named Orla – who even tagged along to William's charity polo match in July.

Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Kate Middleton and dog Orla

RELATED: Kate Middleton and Prince William Bring Their Dog Orla to Charity Polo Match!

Earlier this week, PEOPLE confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle added a new pet to their pack last month. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex adopted Momma Mia, a senior beagle who was one of 4,000 beagles rescued from a Virginia breeding facility last month.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the most loving, sensitive and caring adopters I have ever met!" animal rights attorney Shannon Keith, who oversees the Beagle Freedom Project, which is facilitating adoptions, told PEOPLE. "We were so honored that they have been supporting Beagle Freedom Project and chose to adopt a dog who has been abused."

The couple could have taken one of the many puppies available but opted to rescue the senior dog, the organizer added.

"They made a point to adopt a rescue named Mia, who most would overlook because she is older, has health issues and is traumatized by her past," Keith said. "I was so impressed by their commitment to animal welfare! They have been following up letting us know how well Momma Mia is doing in her new, amazing home!"