Monty in the Olympics opening ceremony There's sad news out of England, where the palace has announced the death of Monty and Cider; two of the Queen's beloved corgis.

Monty's demise comes just after he reached stardom; the pooch was featured alongside the Queen during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, where they starred alongside James Bond -- aka Daniel Craig. Its believed that Monty, who was 13, died of old age earlier this summer.

The palace also confirmed the loss of Cider, a dachshund-corgi crossbreed known as a "dorgi." The deaths were separate and unrelated incidents, but both reportedly occurred while the Queen was at Balmoral. They are believed to have been buried in the royal pet cemetery and will be receiving headstones.

However the Queen is not without canine companionship; she still has four dogs remaining with her in the house of Windsor: corgis Willow and Holly, and dorgis Candy and Vulcan.



Corgis, dorgis . . . how many of these dogs exist? Several, actually.

There are two kinds of corgis: Cardigan Welsh and Pembroke Welsh -- Monty was the latter.

So what's the difference?

The two have several notable differences, starting with their tails -- or lack thereof. Cardigans' got 'em, Pembrokes don't. Cardigans also have better legs; unless you have a thing for stubbier ones.

The Cardigan and Pembroke were actually one breed until about 70 years ago when the variations were developed.

What about dorgis?

The dachshund-corgi mix isn't as random as some other designer dogs that have gained popularity in recent years. In fact, corgis were descended from the dachshund, so it's all in the family.