If you're in the market for an adorable pup, why not look to royalty for some inspiration. Chances are these dog breeds are well-vetted (nothing but the best for kings, queens, princes, and princesses, right?), so follow their lead and bring one of these adorable dog breeds royals have had into your family.
Even those of us who don't follow the royals religiously know of Queen Elizabeth II's love for corgis, and the Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex made headlines for bringing her rescue beagle to the royal wedding. Even Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, are not immune to the love and joy a dog brings and have a family dog of their own, Lupo, a black cocker spaniel.
Sure, all these pups are cute, but the best thing about choosing your dog breed based on how much royals love them is that they're typically pretty easy-going pups. Royals don't like to deal with too much drama with their canine friends! They just like cozy company and are known to be very strategic in selecting the perfect canine lineage.
If you're looking to add a pup to your castle, I mean house, here are the breeds favored by royals.
1Corgis
We're all familiar with the Queen's preference of corgis and her love of the dog breed goes way back to 1944. The Royal website explained, "The then Princess Elizabeth was given Susan the corgi as a birthday present. Since then all The Queen's corgi's have descended from Susan." One of the most popular herding breeds, corgis are also affectionate, agreeable and athletic house dogs, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
2Greyhounds
The greyhound's royal reverence dates way back to the time of the Egyptians, when the dogs were treated as gods and only royalty was allowed to own them. Killing a greyhound put you on the kill list, and the dogs were mummified and buried with their owners, said Adopt a Greyhound. The website explained, "Most of Egypt’s famous pharaohs and leaders, including Tutankhamen and Cleopatra, kept [g]reyhounds."
3Shih Tzus
The shih tzu is another dog that could get you executed if you owned it and weren't royalty. They were considered the "exclusive property of the royal court" of ancient China and "anyone caught owning one could be sentenced to death," according to Pedigree. The site explained, "While its origins are not fully clear, there is evidence that the breed—distinct from the Lhasa Apso, Pug, and Pekingese—was developed by Tibetan Monks who offered the temple dogs as gifts to the emperors of China."
4Smooth-Haired Collies
If you can believe it, Queen Victoria liked smooth-haired collies so much that she owned not one, not two, but 88 of them over the course of her lifetime. The royal website explained that while she had so many of them, she was able to choose a favorite, Sharp, with whom she was photographed in 1866.
5King Charles Spaniels
It doesn't get more royal than a breed that was named after a king himself! The King Charles spaniel was bred from a toy spaniel and named for his most famous owner, King Charles II, according to Dogster. "These small spaniels served as comforters, companions, bed warmers, and flea-catchers," the site explained. Thank goodness we no longer need dogs to be flea-catchers for us!
6Yellow Labradors
A dog's popularity can increase just because a royal owns one. That's what happened with King George VI and his yellow labradors, according to the Royal website, "King George VI owned a number of Labradors as gun dogs and pets. He was particularly fond of yellow Labradors, which were still relatively uncommon in the early 20th century." In fact, the Royal Collection Trust reported, "The first recorded appearance of this colour coat was not until 1899," which was during George's lifetime (he lived from 1895 to 1952, according to Biography).
7Coton de Tulear
The Coton de Tulear is also known as the "Royal Dog of Madagascar", according to PetMD, and while that's a slightly less known monarchy than the ongoing British monarchy, it's still a pretty royal puffball of a dog. The Coton de Tulear is super soft, gentle, and "witty", according to the AKC.
8Great Pyrenees
While most royal dog breeds are on the diminutive side, great pyrenees certainly aren't. Seriously — they weigh over 85 pounds, according to the AKC. They Originally the dogs of peasant farmers, they gained "popularity with the French royals and nobility in the Renaissance years," according to a different AKC article, and was declared the "Royal Dog of France" by King Louis XIV's court in 1675.
9Cocker Spaniel
Before they started popping out adorable children for us all to obsess over, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a pretty darn cute pup. Bark Post reported on the couple's tag along: "Born in 2011, Lupo, a black Cocker Spaniel, was adopted from a litter bred by Kate Middleton’s mother."
10Beagle
The newest royal has been making headlines with her rescue dog, Guy, who got a ride to the royal wedding with Queen Elizabeth herself. People reported that the beagle was adopted by Markle from a shelter in Ontario, Canada, after spending time at a kill shelter in Kentucky. Perhaps beagles will become as popular as her preferred shoes soon!
