Corgi star of opening ceremony dies

One of the Queen's corgis, which appeared in a James Bond sketch for the Olympics opening ceremony, has died, Buckingham Palace said.

Monty and two other corgis greeted the secret agent, played by Daniel Craig, as he arrived at the palace to accept a mission from the Queen in a scene filmed for the curtain-raiser to the London 2012 Games.

The dogs ran down the stairs, performed tummy rolls and then stood as a helicopter took off for the Olympic stadium, carrying Bond and a stunt double of the monarch.

The death of 13-year-old Monty, who was previously owned by the Queen Mother, leaves two corgis in the palace, Willow and Holly. They too appeared in the Olympic film.

The breed has been associated with the Windsors since 1933, when the future George VI bought his first pembroke corgi.

The palace confirmed the death of Monty and of Cider, a dorgi, or dachsund-corgi cross-breed. Two other dorgis, Candy and Vulcan, remain.

Monty was named after Monty Roberts, the American subject of a BBC documentary, A Real Horse Whisperer, according to the Sunday Times.

Roberts, 77, who advises the Queen on horses and corgis, has reportedly offered her a corgi puppy to carry on the tradition.