Queen’s beloved Corgis Muick and Sandy await the cortege’s arrival at Windsor Castle

19 September 2022, 16:41 | Updated: 19 September 2022, 17:30

The Queen's beloved Corgis Muick and Sandy have been pictured awaiting the cortege's arrival at Windsor Castle.

The young dogs - one on a red lead and one on a blue lead - were brought out into the quadrangle by two pages in red tailcoats for the arrival of the Queen's coffin.

While one of her favourite ever horses made a special poignant appearance at Windsor during the procession.

Emma, the Queen's Fell Pony, greeted the procession from the grass in a gap in the floral tributes along the Long Walk in honour of her late owner.

The Queen owned more than 30 corgis during her reign and was known for her love of the breed.

Read more: A son grieves for his mother: King Charles sheds a tear as world mourns the Queen

In early 2021, the Queen was given two new puppies, one dorgi - a cross between a corgi and a dachshund - and one corgi, as a gift by Andrew while staying at Windsor during lockdown.

The puppies kept the monarch entertained while the Duke of Edinburgh was in hospital and Buckingham Palace and the royals were dealing with the bitter fallout from Megxit and the Sussexes' Oprah interview.

The Queen named the dorgi Fergus after her uncle who was killed in action during the First World War, and the corgi Muick, pronounced Mick, after Loch Muick on the Balmoral estate.

But the monarch was devastated when five-month-old Fergus died just weeks later, in the aftermath of Philip's death.

He was later replaced with a new corgi puppy, from Andrew and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie for her official 95th birthday, who the Queen named Sandy.

Read more: Millions watch in silence from Bradford to Belfast and at Gatwick as the Queen is laid to rest

It was confirmed last week that the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, and his ex-wife would look after the Queen's corgis following her death.

A spokeswoman for Andrew said he and Sarah, Duchess of York will take on the two dogs the late monarch received as gifts from her son.

The corgis are expected to move into Royal Windsor Lodge, the £30 million residence which has belonged to Prince Andrew since the Queen Mother's death in 2002.

The residence boasts 30 rooms, including grand living rooms, a conservatory and reportedly an indoor swimming pool.

The estate covers 98 acres of land, compared to Buckingham Palace's 42 acres, meaning the corgis will have plenty of space to play.

Read more: Lone piper plays Sleep, Dearie, Sleep as congregation leaves Westminster Abbey

The puppies were a constant source of joy for the Queen during lockdown, her dresser Angela Kelly said following the monarch's death.

The Queen's love of corgis was celebrated during Platinum Jubilee events, with a gathering of 70 corgis at Balmoral and a "corgi derby" at Musselburgh racecourse.

Most of the Queen's corgis were descended from her first corgi, Susan, who was gifted to her on her 18th birthday in 1944.

The Queen looked after her own dogs as much as possible and during weekends spent at Windsor, the corgis went too and lived in her private apartments.

She fed them whenever her busy schedule permitted and also enjoyed walking the dogs.

Corgis were first introduced to the royal family during King George VI's reign in 1933, when the family first welcomed a Pembrokeshire Welsh Corgi.