Queen’s last royal corgi, Willow, dead aged 15

The Queen has been “hit extremely hard” by the death of Willow, the last of her iconic pet corgis, it has been reported.

The decision was made to euthanise the 15-year-old animal, who was suffering from cancer, on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph reports.

“Insiders said she was hit ‘extremely hard’ by the loss of Willow, who had become her most devoted companion,” the paper says.

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Willow had a starring role in a sketch recorded for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, in which the Queen is shown greeting super-spy James Bond, played by Daniel Craig.

Her death marks the end of an era, leaving the monarch without a corgi for the first time since 1944.

The Queen’s corgis have become familiar all over the world, and even have their own Wikipedia page.

For more than 70 years, the monarch had rarely gone far without a passel of the dogs at her heels. The animals accompanied her to everything from formal palace receptions to family holidays.

Willow “was the 14th generation descended from Susan, a corgi gifted to the then Princess Elizabeth on her 18th birthday”, The Guardian reports.

The young princess was besotted with the animal, and even brought Susan along on her honeymoon with Prince Phillip, says the Telegraph. She is estimated to have owned more than 30 of Susan’s descendants.

However, it was reported in 2015 that the Queen had decided not to continue breeding corgis, as she did not want to leave any behind after her death.

The Queen still has two surviving dogs, Vulcan and Candy, both “dorgis” - a dachshund-corgi crossbreed.