Queen names of new corgi puppies Fergus and Muick

Hachi and Butters play as film doubles for the Queen's dog.
Hachi and Butters play as film doubles for the Queen's dog. Photo credit: Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II has named her two new corgi puppies - and the names both have a special meaning behind them.

The puppies are called Fergus and Muick. 

According to The Sun, Fergus was named in honour of the Queen's uncle Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who was killed in France during World War I in 1915. 

Muick, which is pronounced like "mick", is named after Her Majesty's favourite holiday spot: Loch Muick, a lake on her estate in Scotland.

A source told The Sun both names were "extremely poignant" and "dear" to the Queen.

"Loch Muick is one of her favourite places on the Balmoral estate and the loss of Uncle Fergus in the First World War is still honoured by the family," they said.

The adorable pair of pups were welcomed to Buckingham Palace earlier this month. Her Majesty is said to be "delighted" with the new company as Prince Philip, 99, had his longest stay in hospital yet. 

Fergus is a dorgi, which is a cross between a dachshund and a corgi, while Muick is a purebred corgi. 

It was thought Her Majesty didn't want to own any more dogs as she didn't want to leave them behind when she died.

"She didn't want any more young dogs. She didn't want to leave any young dog behind. She wanted to put an end to it," the Queen's informal advisor Monty Roberts told Vanity Fair in 2015.

But it seems her mind was changed following the death of one of her last remaining dorgis, Vulcan. He died last December, leaving her with just one dog, Candy, who is also a dorgi and the last descendant of corgi Susan, who was gifted to the Queen as an 18th birthday present.

One of the puppies was bought from a breeder on UK website Pets4Homes. 

The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis since 1945. Her last corgi had to be put down in 2018 after suffering from cancer, making it the first time she hadn't owned a corgi since the end of World War II.