Hug for Queen Elizabeth's first corgi

Princess Elizabeth with Dookie in 1936
Princess Elizabeth with Dookie in 1936

Nuzzling up to the young Princess Elizabeth, in a never before seen photograph, is Dookie the corgi who was to begin the future Queen's 70-year love affair with the breed.

Princess Elizabeth with Dookie in 1936
Princess Elizabeth with Dookie in 1936

The image of the 10-year-old Princess Elizabeth was captured at Balmoral in 1936 and discovered in a photograph album of her father George VI.

Dookie and Jane, the first of the famous royal corgis, were bought for Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in 1933 after they had fallen in love with the corgis owned by the children of the Marquess of Bath.

Dookie was christened when he was born as he was always intended to go to the home of the Duke of York the father of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The name stuck when the dog was delivered to the royal household.

The photograph is one of more than 200 affectionate and poignant images which illustrate the Royal Family's love of dogs over more than 150 years which have been compiled for a new book, Noble Hounds and Dear Companions, by Sophie Gordon, the curator of the Royal Photograph Collection. The book is published today.