Former MP ate biscuits intended for Queen’s corgis, claims new book

Former health secretary Alan Johnson commented that he had particularly enjoyed the doggie treats

The Queen talks with members of the Manitoba Corgi Association during a visit to Canada in 2002 (AFP via Getty Images)

A former Labour MP ate biscuits intended for the Queen’s corgis, according to a new book.

Alan Johnson, who was health secretary at the time, ate lunch with the Queen and Paul Murphy, the then Welsh secretary, at Windsor Castle in 2008, the day after an inquest returned a verdict of unlawful killing in relation to the death of Princess Diana.

According to Queen of Our Times, a new book by Robert Hardman, Mr Johnson singled out the biscuits as being especially delicious.

“The two Cabinet ministers left in high spirits,” the book reads. “‘We were waiting for our cars and Paul said, ‘What a wonderful meal’. I said, ‘I loved it. I loved every minute of it.’

“As they discussed the food, Johnson mentioned that he had particularly enjoyed the cheese and the unusual dark biscuits. Paul said, ‘No, the dark biscuits were for the corgis!’.

“At that point – to Alan Johnson’s eternal amusement – it suddenly dawned on him that he had been munching away on dog snacks. ‘I don’t think I’d had cheese with a Bonio biscuit before’.”

Alan Johnson in 2016 (Getty Images)

The Queen’s association with the diminutive animals is well established, with her love for the Pembrook Welsh breed believed to have been inherited from her father King George VI, who brought home the family’s first corgi, a puppy named Dookie, in 1933.

During her 70-year reign, the Queen is reported to have bred over 30 dogs and is even credited with creating the dorgi - a dachshund-corgi mix - with the breed originating after one of the Queen’s dogs mated with Princess Margaret’s dachshund Pipkin.

At present, the Queen has four dogs: two corgis, one dorgi and a cocker spaniel named Lissy who was welcomed into the royal household in February this year.

The 95-year-old monarch is reported to walk her dogs twice a day, where she is often accompanied by a footman.

Princess Diana once famously described the Queen’s corgis as “a moving carpet” that followed the Queen around wherever she went.

The Independent has approached Mr Johnson’s representative for comment.