Queen Elizabeth II and her corgis: Wherever she went, her beloved dogs went too

The dogs became her trademark. Guests at the royal palaces would sit down to dinner to find the corgis beneath the table. They trotted obediently after her down the steps of the Royal flights to and from Scotland, and accompanied her on the long country walks that she loved.

The dogs even took a supporting role in the Queen’s astonishing cameo at the London 2012 Olympics, when she appeared to parachute into the stadium from a helicopter. One of her favourite corgis, Monty, was filmed trotting alongside her and actor Daniel Craig as James Bond 007, before rolling over for the cameras.

Susan, the first Welsh corgi that she owned, went with her and Philip on honeymoon. Her lifelong attachment to corgis, which she bred, was a treasured reminder of her father. George VI had admired a friend’s corgi and bought one in 1933, when she was seven.

Dookie was a Pembrokeshire corgi dog from the Rozavel Kennels in Surrey. Three years later, he acquired a second, called Jane, which gave birth to pups on Christmas Eve. The new arrivals were christened Carol and Crackers.

Princess Elizabeth was given Susan as an 18th birthday present in 1944, and kept her until she died in 1959. Four of her later corgis - Kelpie, Pharos, Swift and Emma - were all descended from Susan.

The Queen also kept four dorgis - Harris, Brandy, Cider and Berry - which are a cross between a corgi and a dachshund.

The Queen was so fond of her dogs that she fed them herself whenever she could. A footman would bring her ingredients on a tray, which she would mix with a silver fork and spoon. At night, the dogs would bed down in her private apartments.

The corgis were so familiar with her routine that they learned to recognise when she was about to undertake official duties. If she entered a room wearing a tiara, the dogs lay on the carpet. But if she came in wearing a headscarf, they knew it was time for a walk and responded eagerly.

The Queen’s concern for her dogs prompted her to call in a psychiatrist when the corgis became prone to fighting amongst themselves. Dr Roger Mugford gave her a rape alarm which emitted a piercing noise that the Queen would set off to break the dogs up.

In an acknowledgement of her advancing years, in the summer of 2015, she decided to end her breeding programme, letting it be known that she did not wish to leave any of the corgis behind after her death. By then, only two, Holly and Willow, were left.

The corgis went with her everywhere in Britain, but she also kept dogs at Sandringham. Her labradors and cocker spaniels were working gun dogs, rather than pets, and the Queen had a special place in her affections for them.