died at age 96 on Thursday, and the partnership between her and her beloved dogs started long before she met and married Prince Philip or even became queen.

And while dogs have been a part of the royal family since at least the days of Queen Victoria, per Vanity Fair, the queen’s bond with corgis was something completely singular.

In fact, the royal loved her dogs so much that she created her own hybrid breed with her sister Princess Margaret in the 1970s called the “dorgi” — a cross between a dachshund and a corgi.Her obsession with the cattle-herding dog dates back to 1933 when the then-7-year-old princess specifically requested a Pembroke Welsh corgi after meeting her friend’s pet.It’s not known why exactly the young princess was so drawn to the breed, although royal family insiders have told the press that she enjoyed them because of their energy and spirit.The lively dogs were mainly bred in Wales at the time and were still fairly uncommon in England, but her father, King George VI — who was a dog lover himself — found a breeder for the puppy.The puppy, named Dookie, became a member of the royal family.

His arrival marked the beginning of a long relationship between Princess Elizabeth and corgis.Dookie was the first of 30 corgis and dorgis the monarch would go on to own during her lifetime and was later joined by another corgi named Jane, who was frequently photographed with the young princess.Get the latest on Queen Elizabeth II’s passing with The Post’s live coverageOn her 18th birthday in 1944, the queen was given a Pembroke Welsh corgi puppy named Susan, who would become the royal’s faithful companion through some of her life’s biggest milestones.

A monarch and her dogs: Why Queen Elizabeth was obsessed with corgis

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