Politicians and royals often keep pets at court, and they become as famous as their owners. Some of these pets are honored with images on national currency, others set trends in pet fashion, and still others become participants in business negotiations.
Britannia
The most famous pets are the Pembroke Welsh Corgis of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. During her reign, she owned more than 30 dogs.
In 2002, to mark the anniversary of Elizabeth II, a coin featuring a corgi was issued.
Now she has two dorgis (a cross between a corgi and a dachshund) left.
But there are other pets at court, too. For example, William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, keep a black cocker spaniel named Luppo. The dog is the subject of Abi King's book, "The Adventures of the Royal Dog," published by Hodder.
And Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, keeps a beagle named Guy.
She also had a Labrador-German Shepherd mix named Bogard. However, he had to be left with friends when Megan moved to England, as he was too old to handle the transition.
Norway
The Norwegian royal family has had Wolfspitz dogs in their care for a long time since 1970. The first of these dogs was even depicted in the painting "The King and His Dog."
Later, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and his wife Mette-Marit acquired a four-legged labradoodle named Milli-Kakao.
The dog became a favorite pet of the whole family.
Belgium
The retired King Albert and his wife Paola have a faithful companion, a Jack Russell Terrier named Picchi.
Netherlands
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima adopted Labradors Skipper and Nala. Their daughters often play with these dogs on vacation.
Nala was named after the famous cartoon "The Lion King".
Thailand
The ruler of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, had a dog named Thongdaeng, whose name translated from Thai means "copper." He was a mongrel, but the king loved him dearly and even dedicated a book to him, "The History of Thongdaeng."
In 2016, Maha Vajiralongkorn came to power in this country. His first poodle, his beloved Foo Foo, lived for 17 years. His owner dressed him in formal attire and allowed him to attend state receptions. Now the monarch has a new pet, Phi Phi.
Monaco
Princess Caroline of Monaco had three dachshunds living in this principality for a long time; she often appeared with them in public and posed for magazines and online resources.
She recently got a French bulldog named Romeo.
Modern monarchs often have pets, as their busy lifestyles and royal duties also require a loyal companion who will be happy to spend time and play with them.
