Queen Elizabeth Welcomes 2 New Corgi Puppies Amid Husband Prince Philip’s Health Issues

Queen Elizabeth II reportedly welcomed two new corgi puppies amid Prince Philip‘s recent hospitalization. The news also came just before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in the U.S. Sunday night on CBS. The interview lived up to the hype, with several shocking revelations from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The new dogs have helped lift the queen’s spirits during this difficult time for the family, sources told The Sun Friday. “The queen is delighted. It’s unthinkable that the Queen wouldn’t have any corgis,” the source said, referring to the Queen’s known love of corgis. The queen, 94, has reportedly had over 30 dogs during her time as monarch. “It’s like the Tower of London not having any ravens. They have only been there a couple of weeks but are said to be adorable and made the castle their home,” the source said. “Both are said to be bringing in a lot of noise and energy into the castle while Philip is in hospital.”

The new dogs were reportedly a gift and are not descendants from Susan, the corgi Queen Elizabeth received when she turned 18 in 1944. The royal family has named the new dogs but their names were not revealed. Other details, including their ages and genders, are unknown.

The Queen’s decision to add more dogs to Buckingham Palace is a surprise. The Queen stopped breeding dorgis in 2018 when Willow was put down and Whisper died six months later. Before receiving the new corgis, she only had one dorgi left, Candy, after another, Vulcan, died in November 2020. The Queen was reportedly worried about leaving dogs behind when she dies. Other royal sources suggested there were fears she might trip over a dog in her old age.

“A few years ago it was decided she would have no more. But her corgis are hugely important to her. They have over the years been closer to her than any human being,” royal biographer Penny Junor told The Sun. “The corgis are intensely loyal and loving and they have never let her down. And of course corgis also seldom rush off to LA to give interviews.”

The new corgis arrived at Buckingham Palace while the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, spent the last few weeks in the hospital. He needed surgery for a pre-existing heart condition. The procedure was successful and he was moved from St. Bartholomew’s Hospital to King Edward VII Hospital. He was first admitted to King Edward VII hospital on Feb. 16 as a precaution.

In their interview with Winfrey, Markle and Harry shared several shocking details about the royal family, including “concerns” and “conversations” about their son Archie’s skin color before Archie was even born. Markle and Harry refused to go into details about these conversations because it might be too damaging to the royal family. Markle did have nice things to say about the queen as a person though, noting that she has “always been wonderful to me.”