Queen's Corgis Attend Funeral With Disgraced Prince Andrew: What Will Happen To The Royal Pets?

Queen Elizabeth II’s processions and funeral services on Monday were attended by about 1 million people — and three of the British monarch’s beloved pets.

A known animal lover, especially of dogs and horses, the queen favored the cattle-herding corgi breed and owned more than 30 dogs over her lifetime. An avid equestrian, the queen also owned many horses and ponies throughout her 96 years and rode them into her 90s.

During the late queen’s procession to St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle, her favorite fell pony, Emma, stood between tributes of flowers and lifted its foot as the coffin passed, according to the BBC. In memorial, one of the queen’s riding headscarves was draped over Emma’s saddle.

The queen’s surviving corgis, Muick and Sandy, watched the procession from Windsor Castle, held on leashes by palace staff next to Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who at one point reached down to pet the dogs. 

See Also: Biden Shows Up Late To Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral, Departs Hastily: Report

The Queen’s Pets: Prior to the passing of the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021, the queen was gifted two corgis, Muick and Fergus, by Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

Fergus died soon after the queen received him, prompting Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to replace the dog with another corgi, who the queen named Sandy.

Emma, who the queen rode recently in the spring of this year, according to CNN, was bred by Thomas Capstick at the Murthwaite Stud farm in Cumbria, England. The queen and her granddaughters all rode the pony.

What’s Next For The Royal Pets: Muick and Sandy have been re-homed with Prince Andrew, the disgraced second son and third child of Elizabeth and Philip. In January, Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles after a judge ruled that a sexual assault civil suit against the royal could proceed in the U.S.

Prince Andrew had close ties to convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Emma is likely to be re-homed with more honorable members of the royal family, possibly with Princess Anne and her daughter Zara Tindall. The latter won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics in the British team’s equestrian event.

An Animal Lover: The queen’s love of animals has touched the hearts of many, demonstrating the relationship people have with their pets isn’t influenced by social status. For the average pet owner, the costs associated with properly caring for pets can be an issue.

For this reason, pet owners may decide to purchase pet insurance for peace of mind.

Lemonade Inc LMND offers award-winning pet insurance that is superfast to sign up for and has lightning-fast claims payments. Lemonade’s digital pet insurance platform is America’s top-rated insurance for cats and dogs, covering everything a pet needs and offering huge savings on routine care such as dental cleaning and parasite tests.

Photo: Molica_an via Shutterstock