When Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8 in Balmoral, her corgis, Muick and Sandy, were reportedly right by her side. After their star turn during the late monarch’s committal service in Windsor, the world was gripped with curiosity about who would be next to take care of them, and People confirmed that the queen’s son Prince Andrew and his ex-wife and current housemate Sarah Ferguson would be the corgis’ new owners. Last week at the Henley Literary Festival, the Duchess of York opened up about the “great honor” of taking the late queen’s dogs, according to the Telegraph.

She added that they are getting along well with the five Norfolk terriers that Andrew and Sarah already owned, and that they are “national treasures” and had “been taught well” by the queen. “They all balance out,” she said of her seven dogs. “The carpet moves as I move, but I’ve got used to it now.”

In 2015, Vanity Fair reported that the late queen stopped breeding corgis and dorgis because she did not want to leave any dogs after her death. But in spring 2021, as Prince Philip was ailing and the coronavirus stretched on, Andrew gave the queen two new dogs, which the queen named Muick and Fergus. When Fergus died months later, Andrew gave the queen another corgi named Sandy. Muick and Sandy are now living with Sarah and Andrew at Royal Lodge, their home in Windsor Great Park.

Soon after the queen’s death, a source told ET that Sarah had actually been the one who found the corgis for the queen and that they had bonded over their shared love of animals. “It was the duchess who found the puppies which were gifted to Her Majesty by the duke,” the source said. “The duchess bonded with Her Majesty over dog walking and riding horses and even after her divorce, she would continue her great friendship with Her Majesty, by walking the dogs together and chatting.”

Last month, Prince William told a group of well-wishers about how the dogs were holding up after the loss of their owner. “I saw them the other day, that got me quite sad,” he said. “They are two very friendly corgis, so they've got a good home. They’ll be looked after very well. Spoiled rotten, I’m sure.”