A “rare” danger has been flagged at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s new home on the Sandringham Estate, which could pose a potential concern for the future of the late Queen Elizabeth’s pet corgis. Buckingham Palace confirmed last month that the dogs will remain in the care of the York family after speculation grew about where they would live once Andrew moved.
The statement issued read “the corgis will remain with the family,” but it didn’t clarify if it would be Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, or Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie who would give them a home.
The worry comes as the estate at Sandringham in the past has seen cases of Seasonal Canine Illness (SCI). Last month, the team posted on Facebook: “Please be aware that Autumn is the season when cases of Canine Seasonal Illness have been seen at Sandringham in the past. SCI is a rare illness which has dramatically declined in numbers since 2010, no-one understands the cause of SCI and there is no cure.”
The statement added: “The key symptoms of SCI are vomiting, diarrhoea and tiredness within 72 hours of being in a woodland area. However, this rare condition is not the only reason why these symptoms may be seen; there are lots of other common causes for these symptoms. If you suspect your dog has SCI, please contact your vet as soon as possible.”
Commenting on the condition, animal welfare charity, Blue Cross said: “Due to researchers not understanding the cause of SCI, there is unfortunately no specific cure. However, some of the symptoms can be alleviated with anti-sickness medication and antibiotics. If treatment is given quickly, most dogs do recover from SCI.”
Andrew had gifted Muick to his mother in 2021 to help her cope when her late husband Prince Philip was in hospital.
Muick, named after Loch Muick on the Balmoral estate, and pronounced ‘Mick’, was given to the Queen as a pup, along with another named Fergus. When Fergus sadly died three months later, another corgi, Sandy, was found to replace him.
The late Queen owned more than 30 corgis during her life, many of which were directly descended from Susan, given to her as an 18th birthday present by her parents in 1944. The then Princess Elizabeth forged such a strong connection with Susan that the dog accompanied her on her honeymoon.
It is understood Andrew will have until the end of January 2026 to leave the Royal Lodge. In a historic move, King Charles announced he was to strip all remaining titles from his brother – including ‘prince’ – and evicted him from the 30-room mansion on the Windsor Estate.
The decision came after weeks of intense pressure as his brother’s links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein continued to embarrass the monarchy. Even though Andrew has denied all Epstein accusations, Buckingham Palace considered that there have been “serious lapses of judgment”.