Queen Elizabeth II's last royal corgi passes away
The end of an era.
Queen Elizabeth II's last royal corgi, Willow, has reportedly passed away, the Daily Mail reports. The dog was apparently put to sleep on Sunday after a battle with cancer, and royal sources allegedly told the Mail that the queen is taking it "extremely hard."
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Willow is the last remaining descendant of a long line of royal corgis bred from the Queen's beloved first dog, Susan. After the queen took a liking to a corgi brought home by her father King George VI in 1933, she was gifted her own, thus beginning a tradition of royal corgis.
In the decades since, corgis have become synonymous with the queen. She was even photographed with her beloved dogs – including Willow – for Vanity Fair in 2016. (The pup's sitting bottom left, FYI.)
A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on May 31, 2016 at 5:35am PDT
A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on Apr 20, 2016 at 6:39pm PDT
Willow's death marks the end of the line as, per The Telegraph, the queen has stopped breeding her corgis. But worry not – the queen isn't totally without royal canine companions. As the Daily Mail reports, she still has her "dorgis" Vulcan and Candy, both crosses between a dachshund and a corgi.
In Willow's memory, please enjoy this regal corgi tea party we held back when the queen took the title of longest-reigning monarch.
