Queen defends dog Candy after hearing she growled at guests

The Queen has expressed surprise that her dog growled at two of her guests, insisting that the hostile behavior isn't typical of the royal canine. 

• The Queen has expressed surprise after learning that her dog, Candy, growled at two guests at Windsor Castle. 
• The incoming Defence Services Secretary and his predecessor informed Her Majesty of the canine's hostility during an audience with her yesterday, prompting the monarch to insist the behavior wasn't typical. 
• In other royal news, the Queen's genius fashion hack for avoiding embarrassing wardrobe mishaps is essential for Storm Dudley.
  

The Queen has expressed surprise that her dog growled at her guests during a royal engagement at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. 

Her Majesty greeted the incoming Defence Services Secretary, Major General Eldon Millar, and his predecessor, Rear Admiral James Macleod, yesterday morning for her first in-person audience since her recent Covid scare. 

The 95-year-old monarch appears to have dodged the virus after Prince Charles tested positive for a second time last week. He and Duchess Camilla, who has also caught Covid, are currently self-isolating. 

During the short meeting, the Queen was informed by her visitors that her dog, Candy, had shown mild hostility to their arrival in the hallway. The protective Dorgi, who also happens to be Her Majesty's eldest canine, apparently let out a "little growl" when she saw the two military officers—much to the British sovereign's surprise. 

"I've noticed you've got Candy keeping guard," MacLeod remarked, after congratulating the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee year. "When we came down the corridor she was not going to let us get anywhere near you." 

The two men then recalled how the 13-year-old Corgi had growled at them before they entered the Oak Room—a behavior that the Queen appeared genuinely shocked to hear.  

"Oh, really?" the monarch replied. "She doesn't normally growl." 

"She obviously can see through us," MacLeod joked. 

This isn't the first time that Candy has asserted her stubborn nature. She made headlines earlier this month, after interrupting the Queen's reflection on her Platinum Jubilee by waddling into the room uninvited. 

Her Majesty didn't seem too bothered by the disturbance, quipping, "And where did you come from?” as the adorable dog appeared before her. 

The Queen's resumption of royal duties this week coincides with the news that Prince Andrew's sex abuse case has been settled, after the disgraced royal agreed to pay his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, a reported sum of £10 million. 

It's understood that the Duke of York, who has been stripped of his royal patronages and military honors, will pay these damages using his mother's personal income.