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The Queen had a 'corgi graveyard' at her royal Sandringham Estate, where royal pets have been buried since 1887

Mikhaila Friel   

The Queen had a 'corgi graveyard' at her royal Sandringham Estate, where royal pets have been buried since 1887
  • Queen Elizabeth II had a "corgi graveyard" at her Sandringham Estate.
  • The royal pets have been buried there since Queen Victoria's collie died in 1887.

Queen Elizabeth was a devoted lover of corgis.

During her lifetime, she had dozens of royal corgis throughout her historic 70-year reign, which ended with her death at age 96. She reportedly stopped breeding the dogs later in life because "she didn't want to leave any young dog behind" when she died.

Over the years, there have been many standout pups, including Susan, the corgi that was gifted to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday and was with her for years, as well as Willow, the last of her long line of corgis who died in 2018.

The Queen even had a "corgi graveyard" at the Crown's estate in Sandringham. The plot near the royal residence was created by Queen Victoria after the death of her collie, Noble, in 1887, according to the Mail Online.

Queen Elizabeth started using the plot for the graves of her corgis after her first corgi, Susan, died in 1959. On Susan's tombstone, it reads: "For almost 15 years, the faithful companion of the Queen."

Buried near Susan is Sugar, who died in 1965 and was also described as "the faithful companion of The Queen" in the inscription of her gravestone.

Photos show there is also a gravestone for Heather, who is "the great-granddaughter of Susan," according to her tombstone.

Though the monarch owned more than 30 corgis over the years, it's unknown whether all have been buried at Sandringham.

The Queen and her dogs were a large part of the culture surrounding the monarchy. While the royal family did not discuss many details about the dogs as it was considered a private matter, they often appeared in photographs and made cameos in videos. The Queen posed alongside four of her dogs for a Vanity Fair cover story in 2016.

Corgis also appeared in a video that depicted the Queen heading to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London with James Bond, depicted by actor Daniel Craig. The corgis can be seen walking at the feet of the Queen and Craig through the halls of Buckingham Palace.

According to Prince Harry, the Queen's dogs also took to Meghan Markle instantly when she joined the family for tea before the couple's engagement in 2017.

"The corgis took to her straight away," Harry said during his engagement interview. "I've spent the last 33 years being barked at — this one walks in, absolutely nothing."



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