Pugs and the British Royals
In last week’s blog, I discuss the symbolism of pugs as royalty in episode three of the House of the Dragon and showed examples of historical royal figures that were pug owners. With Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, we been hearing a lot about her beloved corgis in the news, but pugs have been part of the British royal family for almost two centuries.
Pugs were introduced to the British royal family by William of Orange of the Netherlands. During this time, pugs were the official dogs of the Dutch. These pugs were usually black pugs that came from China and various trade routes. William of Orange frequently had his pugs escort him on passages, especially to England and other Dutch traders followed suit. They soon caught on and over the next 50 years, pugs were the breed of choice in European courts.
George III bred pugs that became the dominant pug type in England called the Morrison Line, which descended from the Dutch. This line standardized modern pug characteristics such as the flat face, richer coat, and a stouter body frame found in fawn and apricot pugs. They also produced the black mask that is the definition of a pug’s face. Along with the Morison Line, Lord and Lady Willoughby imported pugs from Russia and Hungry and bred in England. The Willoughby Line of pugs are taller, leaner, and leggier. They were silver and brindle in color and sometimes had heads that were completely black. Eventually, both lines bred together resulting in the pug breed’s standardization.
Queen Victoria owned thirty-six pugs during her reign including black, fawn, and apricot. She kept a kennel at Windsor Castle to breed and care for her pugs. Her involvement with the breed led to the establishment of the British Kennel Club in 1873 and her influence on the breed popularity led the pug to be the first best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club in 1877. Promoted by the queen, the popularity of the pug became a Victorian period standard thus perpetuating the pug life into modern times.
Her pug love passed down to other members of the Royal family. George V, her grandson, owned pugs and kept the kennel at Windsor Castle managed. The pug life went a new level with her great-grandson, Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, that also shared his love of pugs.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor owned several pugs and boy did their pugs live the life! Their eleven pugs drank from silver bowls, wore silver collars, and had lavish toys. The Duke and Duchess slept on sheets monogrammed with pugs and owned anything pug including bath towels, figurines, and paperweights. The Duchess wrote out a weekly menu for their pugs that included breast of capon and ground steak, all brought in daily and cooked each day. The pugs’ treats were freshly baked every day. No milk bones for these puggies!
The pugs traveled with the couple and stayed at posh resorts and hotels, such as the Waldorf Astoria in New York, hanging out with heads of state, royalty, and movie stars. It was rare for the Windsor’s to go to social occasions without their pugs. When the Duke died in 1972, his pug, James, was reported so lost without him, he passed a brief time later. When the Duchess had a bad fall, it was one of the pugs that alerted the house staff for help. A valet of the duke remarked that the pugs were the children that the Windsor’s never had.
Its seems that the royals broke the tradition of pugs when Queen Elizabeth II was gifted with a corgi on her 18th birthday. There is not a known theory on the sudden change in fashion. I would speculate the royals tried to move away from the scandal of the abdication of Edward VIII. Corgis are awesome as well, so I see how she could have fallen in love with them. Some have argued that pugs are symbol of anti-functionalism of the British Empire, but the crown’s subjects along with others all over the world have continued to care and love this breed. Even a commoner like myself that is a pug owner, I treat my boys like royalty, and I know that I am the queen in their hearts.
