Just as Queen Victoria popularized the white wedding dress, Queen Elizabeth II has brought Corgis back into fashion. Since her death, The Guardian reports, Internet searches for the breed have increased tenfold and the price for Corgi pups has skyrocketed from around £1,500 to £6,000.
The Queen’s Effect
Queen Elizabeth was extremely popular throughout her reign. Corgis – despite their adorably big ears and sausage waddles – were not, at least not in the United Kingdom. According to The Guardian, just 274 new Welsh Corgi pups were registered with the UK’s Kennel Club in 2014. This made them a “vulnerable native breed.”
The late monarch had at least 30 Corgis in her lifetime. The first was Susan, a Pembroke Corgi born in 1944. At that time, The Kennel Club reports, the breed’s popularity increased 56 percent in the UK and climbed consistently until 1960. According to the non-profit, this coincided with the royal family’s increased visibility on broadcast television.
But for several years afterward, the breed’s popularity troughed. The premiere of Netflix’s series The Crown brought it back. That year, 2018, was the first since 1994 that more than 1,000 Corgi puppies were born, according to The Kennel Club. Once back in the limelight, the canines continued gaining traction. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee brought about another noticeable uptick.
About the Corgi Breed
Of course, Corgis aren’t only popular in the late Queen’s realm. They’re also widely beloved in continental Europe and the US, favored for their intelligence and personality.
Kevin Egan, the editor of the newsletter for The Welsh Corgi League, told The Guardian they’re also generally healthy and obedient when well-trained. As herding dogs by nature, they do tend to nip. But that’s easy enough to discourage with proper training.
“It is great to see that the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is firmly back in the hearts of the British public. However, with the breed growing in popularity, it is more important than ever that anyone looking to buy a Corgi puppy takes the time to research their decision,” Diana King, a vice president for the Welsh Corgi League, told The Kennel Club. King encourages prospective pet parents to speak to breed experts and choose responsible breeders who will prioritize the dogs’ health and wellbeing. Adoption, whether through a local shelter or non-profit like the Welsh Corgi League, is also an option.
