The Queen is left with just one pet dog as Vulcan the Dorgi dies

The Queen is mourning the loss of one of her last two remaining dogs just weeks before Christmas.

Loyal companion Vulcan, a dachshund-corgi cross, died a few weeks ago at Windsor, according to sources.

It is not known how old the Dorgi was, or what he died of.

But he had been the Queen’s loyal pet since at least 2007, making him more than 13 years old – a good age for the breed.

Sources said the loss of her faithful companion was a blow to the 94-year-old monarch and has left her with just one remaining animal, Candy, also a Dorgi.

Her loss also comes ahead of what might be the Queen’s loneliest ever Christmas.

The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, are set to forgo the festivities spend the day ‘quietly’ at Windsor Castle – without forming a bubble with two other households. 

The Queen is mourning the loss of one of her last two remaining dogs just weeks before Christmas. Pictured: The Queen with one of her dogs

Loyal companion Vulcan, a dachshund-corgi cross (believed to be furthest from the camera), died a few weeks ago at Windsor, according to sources

Loyal companion Vulcan, a dachshund-corgi cross (believed to be furthest from the camera), died a few weeks ago at Windsor, according to sources

The Queen (pictured in 1952) has always looked after her own dogs as much as possible, and has a way with them that few have ever mastered

The Queen (pictured in 1952) has always looked after her own dogs as much as possible, and has a way with them that few have ever mastered

The source said: ‘Her Majesty adores her dogs and it’s always a blow, particularly now.’

The Queen has always been synonymous with pets, particularly her Corgis.

Her last remaining one, Willow, was put down after suffering from cancer in 2018, making it the first time the monarch had not owned a Corgi since the end of the Second World War.

Willow was the 14th generation descended from Susan, a Corgi gifted to the then Princess Elizabeth on her 18th birthday in 1944. She has owned more than 30 during her reign.

Vulcan and Candy were from a line of Dorgis introduced to the royal household when Princess Margaret’s dachshund, Pipkin, was mated with one of the Queen’s dogs.

The Queen brings along her dogs to meet players and officials from the New Zealand Rugby League Team, the All Golds, inside the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 2007

The Queen brings along her dogs to meet players and officials from the New Zealand Rugby League Team, the All Golds, inside the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 2007

One of the monarch's loyal companions was present in Windsor Castle when the Queen greeted then-Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key in 2015

One of the monarch’s loyal companions was present in Windsor Castle when the Queen greeted then-Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key in 2015

They appeared alongside Willow on the front cover of Vanity Fair in 2016, shot by Annie Leibovitz to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday.

And in March one of them was seen sitting on the Queen’s lap when she moved from Buckingham Palace to Windsor to isolate during lockdown.

The Queen has always looked after her own dogs as much as possible, and has a way with them that few have ever mastered.

They live in her private apartments at Windsor and Buckingham Palace, travelling with her to Sandringham as well as Scotland on a private jet .

She always tries to feed them herself , mixing their feed with a spoon and fork, from ingredients brought on a tray by a footman.

And even now she still likes to walk them herself.

It is said that if the Queen comes in wearing a tiara, they lay forlornly on the carpet; if she is in a headscarf, they know it is time to go out.

The Duke of York once said said his mother’s love of her dogs has helped to keep her fit in old age.

‘She is just amazing at her age and she walks a long way, the dogs keep her active,’ Prince Andrew said.

In 2015, however, the Queen decided to stop breeding dogs – both Corgis and Dorgis – as she didn’t want to leave any behind when she dies. It has also been suggested that she was reluctant to have a large pack of pets any more, for fear of tripping over them.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment last night, saying it was a private matter.

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