How Queen Elizabeth II's love of corgis started a phenomenon

So much discussion of all the things that we knew about the Queen and what happens to things like that. The fate of her corgis is one. It's something she was famous for, the pets she's treasured since childhood. It's been revealed her beloved dogs will be looked after by her son, Prince Andrew, and his ex-wife, the Duchess of York. What now though for the corgi community? Joining me is Kevin Egan from the Welsh Corgi League, and I'm pleased to say also, Kevin, your three corgis, Edward, Mungo and Barney. That's right. Well, hello to all of you. Just tell us, I mean, the loss of the world's most famous corgi owner, what does that mean for the breed, for you as owners? It's a very sad, very sombre time. But I think the great thing is because of their very presence and their temperament, they sort of put a smile on people's faces and they keep us going, that's for sure. Just tell us, I mean, what does it mean to have the Queen as such a high profile owner of the dogs you love? What does it do for the profile of the breed? It's very helpful and quite heartening because you'll find complete strangers will stop you in and say, oh, the Queen's dog. I think that recognition is quite helpful through all ages, whether people are my age or, in fact, people on their way to school in the mornings. But there is a growing recognition. It's sad that we're sitting through what we are now. But it's quite, they're such a hardy and hearty little breed. They're great fun. Of course, as you know, they were bred originally for herding cattle. So they are really technically a working dog, but they need to be busy. They need to be doing things and they keep us on our toes. I can see even on the small screen that I've got here on the green at Westminster, they're patriotic bandanas. What do you think appealed to the Queen about the breed? Why was she so devoted to them for so much of her life? I think part of that aspect of the temperament was their intelligence. I mean, these are very bright little guys. They're very easy to train, which is why they have aptitude for other activities like agility, obedience, tracking, scenting and, of course, herding. That's very popular overseas, particularly in Europe and North America, where they have large competitions herding cattle and sheep. But I think for Her Majesty, their intelligence, their wit, and I think she was often facing those sorts of challenges when out meeting the public. And do you know much about the history, the story of how the Queen came to love the breed so much? Her first dog was a gift on her 18th birthday. That was Susan. It's way back in the 1930s. And I think it spread from there because over the years, obviously, she had many, many corgis around at home and quite occasionally out on public engagements as well. And we've seen so much footage of the Queen with her dogs, particularly in recent days. What do you feel will be the legacy of that? Do you feel that this high profile that they have because of the Queen or had because of the Queen is something that will now fade and the popularity of the breed will diminish? Do you fear that? No, in fact, quite the opposite. There's an event coming up quite soon run by the Kennel Club called Discover Dogs. And over the years, we've found the number of young people, either in teens or 20s, just finished uni, just starting a family, when they're coming out looking for a new dog or their first dog, very often the corgi is pretty much top of their list. So we attend that event to let the general public see up close. Not many people have seen one for real. But what's interesting is that it's no longer simply the dog that your mum or dad may have had. It's the dog of choice for by people in their teens and 20s. And just tell us a little about how you were inspired to begin your love affair with corgis. It was the Queen that played a part in that, wasn't it? Oh, yes, yes, there is that recognition. I know we've been looking for quite a while. But once the search was concluded, and that was with our eldest boy here, Edward, that was back in 2011. It wasn't long before another opportunity came up to find a middle guy here, Mungo. And then well, now there was a hat trick. We had an opportunity last year to get our youngest boy here, who's now a year and eight months, Barney. So it's a bit like sweets. You know, you get one, you have to have more. And long may it continue. Kevin, thank you very much. Kevin Egan, as well as a big thank you to Edward, Mungo and Barney for behaving so well. Obviously the treats are certainly helping. Thank you very much for talking to us about corgis and their long history with Queen Elizabeth.