Monty, Queen Elizabeth’s Corgi and Olympics Ceremony Star, Has Died

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Well, the world just got a little less cute. One of Queen Elizabeth II’s corgis, Monty, who appeared — by which we really mean starred — in the James Bond sketch at the Olympics opening ceremony, has died. He was 13 and was one of three royal Welsh corgis currently owned by the queen, the BBC reports.

Monty, the queen’s oldest corgi, found his star rising in recent months as he took a pivotal role in the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. In the video, His Royal Adorableness (we dub thee; may he rest in peace) takes a stroll through Buckingham Palace with two fellow corgis and 007, played by actor Daniel Craig. Monty and his canine comrades then perform other theatrical feats such as rolling around, running down stairs, being awesome, and watching Bond and the Queen take off in a helicopter.

(MORE: Queen’s Corgis Gang Up On Princess Beatrice’s Pup)

The Royal Family has a storied history with the breed. King George VI brought home the first royal corgi, Dooki, from a local kennel in 1933. The Queen has since remained loyal to the tradition, owning several corgis at any given time. She also owns a number of dachsund-corgi crossbreeds, known as dorgis. The death of one of them, Cider, was announced at the same time as Monty’s death.

Monty is survived by the Queen, the two other corgis from the video (Willow and Holly), and, of course, all corgi lovers across the globe.

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