Queen's corgis eat from silver platters served by a butler

It is no secret that life in Buckingham Palace involves a strict pecking order where everyone has their place. Now it seems this applies to the family pets, too.

The Queen's beloved corgis have a protocol to follow when it comes to their meal times, with each receiving their dishes according to rank, revealed the monarch's dog trainer, Dr Roger Mugford.

"Their food was served by a butler in an eclectic collection of battered silver and porcelain dishes," he told Town & Country magazine

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"As I watched, the Queen got the corgis to sit in a semi-circle around her and then fed them one by one, in order of seniority."

In fact, the Queen's pets can expect more consideration than a human diner when it comes to meals. Each dog is presented with an individually tailored menu, including herbal and homeopathic supplements.

Dr Mugford did not disclose exactly what the corgis typically chow down on, but the Daily Telegraph notes that previous reports have suggested they regularly enjoy fillet steak and chicken breast.

Despite the meal-time protocol, Dr Mugford believes it is the animals' obliviousness to their owner's prestige that the Queen loves so much.

"Dogs are great levellers and they're not influenced by social status, which must be a great relief to her," he said. "No wonder she enjoys being around them."

The Queen has kept corgis since she was a child. At one point, the family had as many as five, but now she owns only two, Holly and Willow, as well as two corgi-dachshund crosses named Candy and Vulcan.

It was reported last year that Holly and Willow will be the last corgis the monarch owns. Mindful of her advancing age, she is apparently reluctant to leave any dogs behind after her death.