NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

A royal dog's dinner? How corgis take meals on butlers' silver dishes

By Hannah Furness
Daily Telegraph UK·
21 Feb, 2016 11:15 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor Park photographing her corgis in 1960. Photo / Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor Park photographing her corgis in 1960. Photo / Getty Images

Trainer reveals mealtime etiquette of the Queen's beloved pets served in strict order of seniority.

Admirers of the Royal family probably expect the Queen's mealtimes to be dominated by strict protocol about seniority, dinner served on silver and porcelain, and bespoke menus for each member of the family.

But they may not be aware that such formalities apply not only to the Royal family, but also their dogs.

The Queen's corgis also enjoy an "individually designed menu", served by hand in strict order of each dog's importance, their trainer has disclosed.

Dr Roger Mugford, an animal psychologist and behavioural therapist, said the royal corgis eat homeopathic and herbal remedies along with their favourite foods, which are presented to them by a butler.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In an interview with Town & Country magazine, which has dedicated its spring issue to the Queen's 90th birthday, Dr Mugford revealed details of the lives of the royal pets behind closed doors.

"At feeding times, each dog had an individually designed menu, including an array of homeopathic and herbal remedies," said Dr Mugford, describing a visit to the Queen's inner circle.

"Their food was served by a butler in an eclectic collection of battered silver and porcelain dishes.

"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. The others just sat and patiently waited their turn."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The dogs have previously been reported to be fed on a diet that included fillet steak, chicken breast and gravy, with scones crumbled up into their bowls for a treat.

Speaking of the Queen's love of animals, Dr Mugford continued: "The Queen has definite views about how dogs should be cared for: she doesn't tolerate unkindness, and I remember she took a very dim view of President Lyndon B Johnson picking his dogs up by their ears.

"When she's talking about her dogs or her horses you see a completely different side to her: she relaxes.

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

The Queen's devotion to corgis, which were introduced to the Royal family by George VI, dates back to her 18th birthday, when she received Susan, a Pembroke, for her 18th birthday.

She has gone on to own more than 30 of the dogs, all descended from Susan, which are often photographed accompanying her on and off duty.

She currently owns just two, Holly and Willow, with two other dorgis - a cross-breed of a corgi and a dachshund - named Candy and Vulcan.

It has previously been reported that the Queen will not introduce any new corgis to her royal household.

The spring edition of Town & Country, which goes on sale on Thursday, will include a portfolio of rarely seen photographs from her reign, as well as the recipe for Prince William's favourite chocolate cake.

The magazine is one of many publications to mark the Queen's 90th birthday this year.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A new book, published by the Bible Society, Hope, the churches' group, and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, also celebrates the long reign.

Writing in the foreword, the Queen said she was "very grateful" for the country's prayers and that she had

felt God's "faithfulness" throughout her reign.

"The extent and pace of change has been truly remarkable," she said, in The Servant Queen And The King She Serves. "We have witnessed triumphs and tragedies."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Iranian missile strikes on Israeli regions leave 23 injured

22 Jun 08:13 AM
live
World

'Devastating warhead power': Israel, Iran trade fresh strikes after US attack

22 Jun 06:33 AM
Premium
World

Trump's high-stakes gamble on Iran's nuclear sites

22 Jun 05:43 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Iranian missile strikes on Israeli regions leave 23 injured

Iranian missile strikes on Israeli regions leave 23 injured

22 Jun 08:13 AM

Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Ness Ziona on Sunday morning.

'Devastating warhead power': Israel, Iran trade fresh strikes after US attack
live

'Devastating warhead power': Israel, Iran trade fresh strikes after US attack

22 Jun 06:33 AM
Premium
Trump's high-stakes gamble on Iran's nuclear sites

Trump's high-stakes gamble on Iran's nuclear sites

22 Jun 05:43 AM
Kiwi man charged after cocaine blocks found in suitcase at Sydney Airport

Kiwi man charged after cocaine blocks found in suitcase at Sydney Airport

22 Jun 04:16 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP