Queen Elizabeth won’t get new dogs as she is worried about tripping over them and injuring herself
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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS: They have been a familiar site at the Queen's heels ever since she was presented with one for her 18th birthday in 1944, Armenpress reports, citing the Daily Express. But now the Queen - who is known to be inseparable from her beloved Corgis - has decided against introducing any new dogs to Buckingham Palace.
She no longer replaces the pets as they die and, as she gets older, she is worried about tripping over the small dogs.
It comes after the Queen declined the offer of two puppies from her granddaughter Princess Beatrice.
She asked her grandmother if she would like two of four Norfolk terriers, born to her own dog Ginger last September.
A senior courtier told theDaily Express: 'The Queen thought it was a lovely offer but she politely declined.
'The fact is she worries about too many dogs around her feet and the danger she will trip up and hurt herself badly. She is after all 88 and not getting any younger.
'Her corgis are getting on a bit and move along at a sedate speed but a young dog would obviously be very lively and much more active.
'Her main fear is that if she fell and broke her arm or even a leg she would not be able to perform her duties for many weeks if not months, and that would upset her greatly.'
Corgis were first introduced to the royal circle by King George VI in 1933 when he bought a Corgi called Dookie from a local kennels.
The animal proved popular with his daughters and a second Corgi was acquired called Jane who had puppies, two of which, Crackers and Carol, were kept.
For her eighteenth birthday, The Queen was given a Corgi named Susan.
She became the matriarch of the royal Corgi line and it was the beginning of a 70-year love affair.
Some Corgis were mated with dachshunds to create 'Dorgis', two of which, Candy and Vulcan, still survive, along with the two Corgis Willow and Holly.
The Corgis have hit the headlines before - in 2004 one had to be put down after being savaged by an English bull terrier owned by Princess Anne when they ran out to greet her as she arrived at Sandringham for Christmas.
Anne was convicted under the Dangerous Dogs Act the year before that after the same dog attacked two children, becoming the first member of the Royal Family ever to acquire a criminal record after admitting letting the dog run out of control.
The Corgis have enjoyed life as Britain's most privileged pets. They live in palaces and castles, travel in chauffeur-driven limousines, fly by private plane or helicopter and are carried down aircraft steps by aides.
The Queen is said to feed them fillet steak and chicken breast and all the food is cooked from scratch, with a new Corgi menu typed and posted to the kitchen wall daily.
They live in a boxroom that holds their wicker baskets, raised a few inches off the floor to avoid draughts. It is situated in the royal apartments, around which the dogs wander at will.