Inebriate Corgis

Here is a great story from the late nineties about a naughty footman who treated The Queen's Corgi dogs to a snifter or two while Her Majesty was away. Matthew King, 28, added whisky and gin to the corgis' food and water as a party trick, The Sun said. He was demoted to ordinary footman with a drop in salary when the prank was discovered.

Mr King would only make the dogs tipsy when the Queen was away, to entertain other staff members at Buckingham Palace. He was found out when a post mortem examination on a 14-year-old dog found traces of alcohol in its bloodstream. Dr Roger Mugford, who has treated the corgis, told The Sun: "This sort of thing cannot be laughed off as a bit of harmless larking about. A tipsy corgi could easily bump into something and hurt itself."

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said giving alcohol to dogs was "cruel and irresponsible". A Buckingham Palace spokesman at the time refused to comment on the allegations, saying staff arrangements were "a private matter".