The Sweet Names Queen Elizabeth Just Gave Her New Family Members

Queen Elizabeth II has not been having the easiest year, to say the least. Aside from the ongoing global pandemic, the queen's husband, Prince Philip, was in the hospital for a month (via BBC), and there are still ongoing concerns about his health due to his advanced age. Additionally, the queen's grandson Prince Harry and Harry's wife Meghan Markle recently did a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey (via CBS), during which they made some bold claims about the royal family, putting the queen in a tough position. 

Although she has a lot going on, the queen decided to bring two new family members into her home to keep her company — and to lift her spirits, no doubt. According to The Sun, Queen Elizabeth II adopted two corgis after the holidays. The dogs bring "a lot of noise and energy" to the palace, which has helped keep the queen's mind off of the stress that she has been dealing with in recent months. Flash forward a few weeks, and the world has learned the names that the queen has chosen for her two new pups. 

Read on to find out the sweet monikers she chose.

Queen Elizabeth II did not need to consult a dog name book to choose what to call her new canine friends. In fact, she simply drew on memories of her past. According to The Sun, the queen named one pup Fergus, after her late uncle, Fergus Bowes-Lyon. She chose the name Muick (pronounced Mick) for the other dog, naming him after one of her favorite places to visit, Loch Muick, a picturesque area located at the queen's own Balmoral estate in Scotland.

"Both name choices are extremely poignant and dear to the Queen. Loch Muick is one of her favorite places on the Balmoral estate and the loss of Uncle Fergus in the First World War is still honored by the family," a source told The Sun. Fergus is technically a dorgi, which means he's a corgi and dachshund mix, while Muick is a full-bred corgi. The queen has owned corgis for much of her life, according to Vanity Fair. "The royal family began to own and breed corgis during the queen's childhood," Vanity Fair reports. The queen's last corgi, Vulcan, died in December 2020, and since she said she never wants her beloved pups to survive her, it's clear that the queen does not plan on going anywhere anytime soon!