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Queen Elizabeth bade farewell to one of her faithful companions.
Her last corgi – which she adopted from a former staff member – has passed away. Whisper had been the last of his famous corgis set, after Willow's death earlier this year.
The 92-year-old Monarch had inherited Whisper in 2016 from Bill Fenwick, a former Sandringham game guardian who passed away. His late wife, Nancy, was taking care of dogs when the queen was traveling. But it has now become clear that Whisper, who was 12 years old, is dead too – about a week ago at Windsor Castle.
The queen still has her two dorgis – a mix of her long-time favorite corgis and dachshunds, Candy and Vulcan – which, like the corgis of the time, featured in a striking set of portraits by Annie Leibiovitz for the 90th birthday of Queen.
Queen Elizabeth in 1974
Anwar Hussein / Getty
The news of Whisper's death comes from Richard Kay, who writes in the newspaper Daily mail that the queen had become very attached to the dog. Whisper was a nice guy.
Whisper's death follows that of Willow, the last of a lineage descended from his original corgi Susan, who died in April.
The furry companions, who would travel with the queen between her different homes, are synonymous with sovereign, and padded versions are even for sale in the shops of the palace. (But she also has well-loved Labradors, mainly in Sandringham.)
Queen Elizabeth in 1936
Lisa Sheridan / Lisa Studio / Hulton Archives / Getty
As a young princess, the future monarch received Susan on her eighteenth birthday, but it was her father, King George VI, who introduced the first of the short-legged dogs into the family with a corgi named Dookie in 1933. A second, Jane, was added – and when she had a litter of puppies, two Crackers and Carol were retained.
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Elizabeth adopted Whisper when she said a few years ago that she did not want to have a dog anymore – partly because it could make her stumble on one of her pets and she did not want to leave young dogs.
