1. Lupo banned from Christmas
No-one could miss William and Kate's very cute cocker spaniel as he cleverly positioned himself front and centre for the recent royal portrait. Lupo - Italian for wolf - has now firmly established his pet celebrity status. However, looks may be deceiving. Apparently the Queen banned the cute pooch from the royal Christmas fearing he may upset (upstage?) the corgis. In Lupo's defense it seems the Queen's corgis have a long history of naughtyness. To be fair these incidents are shared by at least 30 animals, as the Queen's fondness for the breed has not diminished over the years.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and their cocker spaniel Lupo. Photo/ File
2. Corgis Behaving Badly
As early as 1954, Susan, the Queen's very first corgi, bit the royal clockwinder. Not to be outdone, one of the Queen Mother's corgis then bit a policeman on guard duty later in the same year. After the postman fell victim to the next corgi attack, a "Beware of Dogs" sign was installed at Balmoral. However, following further similar incidents it is reported that an animal psychologist was hired to 'tame' the dogs. This may not have quite fixed the problem as the Queen herself later required three stitches to her hand after stepping in to break up a fight between at least 10 of her feisty corgis. I believe the corgi will endure as the animal we associate most with the monarchy. The Queen owns a very moderate four at present, two of which are crossed with daschunds which apparently makes them 'dorgis'.