The Queen to end her Corgi breeding program

Holly and Willow have been the Queen's companions for 12 years and they're likely to be the last of her Royal Majesty's pets.

Queen Elizabeth II looks at a Corgi as Paul O'Grady (2nd right) looks on during a visit to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London. (Getty) Source: Getty Images

The Queen is ending her corgi breeding program, bringing to a close a life-long love of the breed, according to an article in Vanity Fair.

The story - 'Queen Elizabeth and Her Corgis: A Love Story' - stated the Queen had "personally overseen a program of corgi breeding that is based on the grounds of Windsor Castle" since the 1950s.

Prince Charles and Princess Anne play in the sand with a corgi at Holkham Beach, 1957 in Holkam, England. (Photo by Buckingham Palace/Clarence House via Getty Images) Source: Getty Images Europe

"Purebred puppies from her kennel are registered under the affix of Windsor," it stated.

But Corgis have had a much longer history with the Royal family.

The Queen with some of her Corgis walking the Cross Country course during the second day of the Windsor Horse Trials in 1980. (Getty) Source: Getty Images

King George VI  introduced Corgis to the Royal family in 1933 when he bought home a Corgi called Dookie from a local kennel.  

The 12-year-old pair, Holly and Willow, are reaching the end of the breed's average lifespan. It's reported the 89-year-old Monarch does want to leave her beloved pets behind.

Queen Elizabeth II, with her retinue of corgis, meets the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team at Buckingham Palace in 2002. (Getty/AFP) Source: AFP

The royal corgis accompany the Queen almost everywhere. They tag along the Queen's visits around the UK and overseas, travelling with her in limousines, private planes and helicopters.

Hollow and Willow are 14th generation descendants from Susan, a corgi gifted to the Queen on her eighteenth birthday.

Two of the corgi dogs belonging to Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, take part in the parade around Horse Guards Parade in London in 2000 during her 100th birthday parade ceremony. (Getty/AFP)

Queen Elizabeth II greets well wishers with corgis during a visit to Sherborne Abbey in 2012. (Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Wrangling Queen Elizabeth II's Corgis as they're walked pass US President Barack Obama's car in the grounds of Buckingham Palace while he has an audience with the Queen in 2009 (Getty) Source: Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth and her Corgis at King's Cross railway station in London, 1969 (Getty) Source: Getty Images