The Queen's last corgi, Whisper, has died at the age of 12, bringing an end to the monarch's 74 year long association with the dog breed.
Originally owned by one of the royal family's gamekeepers, Whisper was adopted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 and reportedly became extremely special to her after the death of 14-year-old Willow in April.
Willow was the 14th generation descendent of the Queen's first dog Susan, and the Telegraph reports the monarch was hit hard by the loss of her most devoted companion.
Vulcan and Candy, two dorgis-corgi-dachshund crosses, remain alive and happy, but Whisper's death on Saturday means the Queen no longer owns any corgis.
The monarch's had a long history with the dog breed, dating back to her father's corgi Dookie.
After forming a bond with Dookie, Elizabeth was given Susan and subsequently owned more than 30 corgis throughout her reign, with most direct descendants of Susan.
The corgis themselves have become synonymous with the Queen, frequently appearing with her when out in public or in photographs. Willow famously appeared in the 2012 James Bond sketch filmed with the Queen for the London Olympics opening ceremony.
In 2015, the then 90-year-old Queen stopped breeding the Pembroke Welsh corgis after fears she may trip over one and hurt herself. She also didn't want to have any left behind when she died.
Prince Harry revealed in an interview last year that his then-fiancé Meghan Markle had quickly charmed the dogs.
"The corgis took to [her] straightaway. I've spent the last 33 years being barked at, [Meghan] walks in, absolutely nothing," he said.
In 2015, Sir John Key was pictured with the Queen as two of her dogs ran past.
Newshub.
