Platinum Jubilee- The Queen's love affair with her Royal corgis.

For more than 70 years, a small group of pampered palace insiders has held sway over the court of Queen Elizabeth. They get to travel in luxury, they get to live in castles and palaces. Get to fly first class on Queen's flight. And they also get to often meet very important people. I mean, these have met people like Barack Obama, they've met American presidents. They're like a floating carpet. Whenever the Queen gets up and moves, this carpet just moves along with her. They are by her side all the time. She absolutely adores them. How have they secured their place in the inner sanctum? Comfort. Friendship. They are reliable friends and companions for her. These corgis don't give interviews, they don't appear on Oprah Winfrey, for instance. When you think of the Queen, you think of Buckingham Palace, you think of crown jewels, you also think of the corgis. I mean, the Queen not having corgis would almost be like ravens not being at the Tower of London. I know what you want. I'm Matt Wilkinson and I'm the Royal Correspondent at The Sun newspaper. Many people have come in and out of her life, but the corgis have always been there by her side as loyal companions. It has been said that she values the company of corgis sometimes more than people. The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis in her lifetime. Her first, a corgi puppy named Dookie, was brought home by her father, King George VI, in 1933, when the then Princess Elizabeth was just seven years old. Dookie was quickly followed by another, Jane, and then on her 18th birthday she was given one all of her own, Susan, who would be the first in a long line of corgis bred under the supervision of the Queen. All of her corgis since then, up until about five or six years ago, have actually been bred from the lineage of Susan that was there for her 18th birthday. Corgis have become synonymous with the Queen over the seven decades of her reign, and as well as companionship, they've given the public a rare glimpse of Her Majesty's softer side. It's quite sweet, actually, and quite personal. Very recently, two of her newest corgis, she picked up during lockdown. One, she's called Mick. It's M-U-I-C-K, but pronounced Mick, and Mick's named after a Balmoral beauty spot near her home in Scotland, which she adored. She spent a lot of time with Prince Philip. The second one, sadly a dorgy who later died a couple of months later, actually, was called Fergus, and Fergus was named after Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who was the Queen's uncle who died in the First World War at the Battle of Luce. So sometimes the names can be very, very personal for the Queen. In recent years, their importance as companions to Her Majesty has grown. During COVID lockdown in particular, she did spend a lot of time getting out of the castle, going for a walk with the corgis around the grounds. We know that actually on the day that Prince Philip died, she was actually out with her corgis in the gardens, and also after the funeral, she was out with the corgis, so that they are very important to her life. Now, she does have mobility problems, well-documented mobility problems, so walking around these gardens is not so easy for her. She actually has a £62,000 golf buggy, which she can use to get out of the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, just to make sure she can actually spend time with her corgis, which is a much-loved thing that she likes to do with her life. The Pembrokeshire Welsh Corgi was originally bred for their cattle herding abilities. Short but powerful legs meant they were just the right height to nip at the ankles of livestock, but quick and agile enough to dodge the ensuing kicks. But this herding instinct has put the royal corgis at odds with palace staff and residents over the years. The corgis have been troublesome for courtiers, they've been troublesome for other dogs, they've also been troublesome for the Queen herself. A few years ago, I think, she actually suffered an injury herself when she needed three stitches in her hand after she broke up a fight between 10 of her squabbling corgis. They're a fixture, they're much-loved at Windsor Castle, but I think the lesson is maybe not cross them too much if you get the chance. As you might expect, the life of a palace corgi is pretty luxurious. They have their own bedrooms, they have their own wicker baskets to sleep. It's also said that they also have fresh sheets to sleep with, but the treatment they have is that they have the Queen as their owner, so they get to travel in luxury, they get to live in castles and palaces, and they also get to often meet very important people. I mean, these have met people like Barack Obama, they've met American presidents, they've been to functions where they've been fed by the Queen at large banquets, so they're very lucky animals indeed. The Queen takes a close interest in the welfare of all her animals, including what they eat. And there's no kibble and leftovers for the palace pack. Their meals are made alongside the Queen's in the kitchens. They're even prepared by the same chef. I'm Darren McGrady, former chef to the Queen at Buckingham Palace and royal chef to Princess Diana. I spent 11 years with the Queen, travelling around the world wherever she went. Chef McGrady landed the job in 1982. It wasn't long before he had a run-in with the royal corgis. I started at Buckingham Palace and then was sent up to Balmoral. We did lunch and I decided to go and do some exploring, and as I was walking along there, I looked in the distance and I saw this lady coming towards me and she got some dogs, and I didn't think any more. And as I got closer, I thought, oh my gosh, it's the Queen. And then suddenly the dogs started barking. They saw me, 12 corgis, 12 corgis. And not only did they start barking, they started running towards me. And I thought, okay, I'm not meeting the Queen today. I just turned around and I ran right the way back to the castle and I could hear the Queen laughing in the background. Seriously? The most important thing in the world to her are the corgis, the horses, and then family. And then the chefs come right down at the very bottom, around number 100 or something. The animals really do get spoiled and it's true. You know, the corgis, when I was there, even had their own menu. So what was on offer and how was it made? Chicken, liver, beef, rabbit. Prince William and Harry used to go shooting rabbits in the Great Park and those rabbits would then be sent to Windsor and we'd have to clean them, draw them, and then poach them. If beef is on the menu, the beef comes in from the local butcher, then it's boiled, no salt, no seasoning, nothing. It's just the plain beef and it's just boiled away until it's sort of really tender. And then it goes into the larder kitchen to cool down. That goes for the chicken breasts and the beef livers too. Both boiled, no salt, no seasoning. The corgis are a comfort to the Queen. You know, she absolutely adores them. You know, I remember being in London, Trooping the Colour, the Queen couldn't wait to, you know, get back to Windsor Castle, put on some wellingtons, put on a headscarf, and go off walking the dogs in the home park. And I think this was just a release for the Queen, just to spend time on her own with her favourite animals, with the corgis that she loved. To accompany their main, the corgis always had two sides, specially selected to aid their digestion. There's always a bowl of rice, because sometimes the dogs need a little help. And then there's cabbage, you know, for the other way. So that has to be prepared every day. After the meat is cooked and cooled, comes the most important step of all. You're going to start cutting it into a brunoise, which is sort of an eighth of an inch dice. A really, really fine dice. But when you're doing things like rabbit, and when you're doing things like chicken, you've got to make sure that you chop it really fine, because, you know, imagine if there were chicken bones in there, and they got stuck in the corgi's throat. The royal chefs off to the tower. I mean, seriously. The Queen has two footmen. We used to call them Doggie One and Doggie Two, and they'd come down to the kitchen, and pick up the food while the Queen was having tea, take it upstairs, and actually put it into the bowls. And then the Queen would come through, stir it all in, and put the food down on the floor for the dogs. So technically, the Queen fed the dogs. They didn't really have dessert. It was just the meat, and that was all they had. But a special treat, I think, was when the Queen was on her own for tea, and she'd have the corgis in with her, laid at her feet all around the tea table, and she'd take the scones, and she'd crumble one or two onto the carpet. And the dogs would then actually enjoy the scones. Armed with my five-course canine banquet, I set out to find a corgi with a royal appetite. The personality of the PEM is just second to none. I mean, they are just so easygoing. They love to please. They love to play. And they can be trained up in so many different ways. My name is Kevin Dover, and I own the Pemcada kennel of Welsh Pembrokes. I currently have seven corgis, six Pembrokes and one Cardigan. My most successful dog is Magnus, champion Pemcada Thunderball. He's the winner of 60 challenge certificates, 13 group firsts. Magnus is the dog that's won the most challenge certificates in the history of the breed. Basically, he's one of Britain's dishiest dogs. But what makes a handsome corgi? They should have a figure like an hourglass, basically. So you've got the rib cage, a little tuck in where the loin is, and then you've got the rear quarters. So you've got that nice hourglass effect. With a corgi's movement, it should be a parallel movement. They should be like a steam engine going down a track. The head is a very important feature. You should have that equilateral triangle. You should be able to draw a line from the nose through the eye to the tip of the ears. Breeders are always on the hunt for the perfect addition to their line, and the queen is no different. This comes out every year, and a copy of that goes to the queen as well. Flicking through the handbook one day, the palace spotted one of Kevin's stud dogs. Many years ago, it was probably 25 years ago, I should think, yes, Her Majesty used one of our dogs and was very fortunate to be asked to go down to Windsor. And whilst we were there, we had a surprise visit by Her Majesty, which was quite a revelation and something I shall never forget. And it was lovely to be able to discuss with somebody on an even level and the knowledge that she possessed about the breed, the bloodlines. It was just like talking to somebody that you meet at the dog shows every week. She just knew everything. She could come out with the various dogs and that that we've had in the past, who they're by, what bitches and that they're out of. And so that proves that it's not just a fleeting sort of interest. To know that sort of information, you've got to study. You need to study the bloodlines. And I think that's what Her Majesty does. She must have a fantastic memory. And it's just wonderful to be a very small part of that experience, really. During his visit, it became clear to Kevin that his Corgi's offspring were going to a very good home. There were just dog beds everywhere. So, yeah, I mean, they all had nice covers and that in. They all had separate wicker baskets in the sitting room, a nice cushion in there with a... I think two or three of them actually did have like a white sheet over the top there. But I mean, it was always absolutely immaculate. And yeah, the puppies were in absolutely wonderful condition and obviously were being fed extremely well. Kevin's unsure what happened to all of the resulting litter, but he knows at least one ended up with a very high profile new owner. One of the dog puppies was actually going to stay with the Queen Mother. The Queen herself very rarely kept any males. She would always ensure that any puppies that weren't retained by her were then given to very close family members or friends. I mean, she never had any issues with finding homes for them, I'm sure. What do you think the Queen gets out of her relationship with her dogs? I think she gets the friendship and that sort of rapport and you do get it. I know I get it with Magnus. I always term him as my once-in-a-lifetime dog and that he knows exactly what I'm thinking. Who better then to taste test my royal banquet? It was interesting to watch, to see what Magnus would actually go for. You're giving them the carbohydrate proteins and then you've got all the vitamins and stuff in the veg that they're having as well. How often do they get a nice little treat of scone? They don't. That's probably going to be something now that I'm going to have to add in. In Britain, corgis had their heyday in the 1960s when numbers of registered puppies peaked at 9,000. Since then, the breed's popularity has seesawed dramatically. In 2009, corgis were added to the UK Kennel Club's list of at-risk breeds, meaning the number of registrations dropped to between 300 and 450. But Netflix hit the crown, put pay to the lull, as Brits rushed out to purchase corgi puppies after watching a young Queen Elizabeth alongside her beloved pets. Now, there are more than 1,000 corgis in Britain, the most since 1994. And it's not just the UK enamoured with the Queen's favourite breed. This is Maxine. Maxine enjoys nappies, rubbies and all the Cheerios she can fit in her mouth. She's definitely a celebrity. We get approached all the time. People recognise her in her backpack, out of her backpack. The first person to get a tattoo of Maxine posted it last week. He had never met Max before and just got a tattoo of her. It's such a huge compliment, but I also think it's crazy. Looking at him like, you're f***ing crazy. You got a tattoo of my dog. I don't even have a tattoo of my dog. Brian is a pet influencer from New York. His six-year-old corgi Maxine is at the centre of a social media empire which has turned her and her dog dad into unlikely stars. We started an Instagram account for her back in 2016 when we got her, just as like a fun thing to do. Basically over the next six years, it just slowly built itself into over 5 million followers. Maxine's millions of followers has meant a big change in lifestyle, both for her and Brian. Having a dog with this many followers opens up tons of doors. It's, I mean, it's transformative. It changes your life. She's been invited to press junkets for movie premieres, store openings. We get free stuff from companies, which is fun. Our apartment's turning into like a little bit of a storage facility, but it's great. And now it's a full-time job. I quit my day job back in October of 2021. And that was to focus on Maxine's Instagram as well as launching Little Chonk, which is the company we started to build dog carriers. So yeah, it's been a strange, fun journey. On the West Coast in Irvine, California, lives a brand ambassador, an advertising star who regularly walks the red carpet, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood's elite. Tofu was in a commercial for Netflix and in the commercial was Kristen Bell. We've also met Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens and Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things because Tofu got invited to a movie premiere that they were all at. Tofu's mum, Tiffany, has been building her social media following since she was a puppy. Our following count on Instagram is currently more than 265,000 followers. Then on TikTok, we have more than 1.5 million followers. And on YouTube Shorts, we have more than 125,000 followers. Ladies and gentlemen, her. I'll have people come up to me and be like, hey, is that Tofu? We had one follower who they actually... So we used to sell pillows of Tofu and it's like her shape. And he actually used that pillow of Tofu as part of his proposal to his wife because his wife was such a big Tofu fan. The ring was wrapped around like the Tofu pillow's neck. So that was pretty, pretty fun. The queen has now ended her breeding program, meaning the line of royal corgis started 70 years ago with Susan will now sadly die out. It's a great shame that she spent the whole of her life in service to the rest of us and has had a corgi by her side. And that's all going to come to an end. But it's just one of those unfortunate things and nobody else is going to be able to take up the mantle really. But their prevalence in pop culture and in homes across Britain and the world means the breed looks set to live on.