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According to multiple sources, HM Queen Elizabeth II was left heartbroken this week when Whisper, her last corgi, died. The 12-year-old dog passed away at Windsor Castle.
Whisper wasn’t one of her “OG” corgis—or, the ones descended from her first corgi, Susan, and who the monarch raised from birth. He was an adopted fellow. When his original owner, a former caretaker at Sandringham, died in 2016, the Queen took him in, and they developed a strong bond over the resulting two years. “Whisper was a friendly chap and followed her everywhere,” a source told The Daily Mail.
In April of this year, another one of the Queen’s precious corgis, Willow, passed. It’s said the Queen chose not to breed any more corgis because she was unsure who would look after them when she was gone. Over the last 74 years, the Queen is estimated to have had over 30 corgis—meaning the death of Whisper is the end of era.
But fear not, dear reader! It is not all doom and gloom at the kennels of Windsor. The monarch may have no corgis, but she has . . . dorgis, a cross between a corgi and dachshund. Their names are Candy and Vulcan, and you can see them in these Annie Leibovitz portraits. Did they star alongside James Bond in an Olympics opening ceremony video? Well, no. Have they had fictionalized counterparts in The Crown? Also no. But they are cute, devoted dogs. And, frankly, now they’re all we got.
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This article first appeared on Vogue.com
