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Queen Elizabeth has suffered another heartbreaking loss. The Sun reported on Tuesday that Her Majesty’s dorgi puppy named Fergus has passed away. Fergus was one of two puppies that Prince Andrew reportedly gifted his mother back in February.
“The Queen is absolutely devastated,” a Windsor Castle insider told The Sun. “The puppies were brought in to cheer her up during a very difficult period,” adding, “Everyone concerned is upset as this comes so soon after she lost her husband.”
It was reported in March that the puppies were keeping the Queen company while her husband Prince Philip was in the hospital. Prince Charles’ mother was said “to be delighted with the extra company at Windsor Castle, having had only one since the end of last year.” A source told The Sun that the puppies were “said to be bringing in a lot of noise and energy into the castle while Philip is in hospital.”
Fergus was reportedly named after the Queen’s uncle Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who died during World War I, while the second puppy, Muick, was named after one of the royal’s favorite spots in Scotland. “Both name choices are extremely poignant and dear to the Queen,” a source told The Sun. “Loch Muick is one of her favourite places on the Balmoral estate and the loss of Uncle Fergus in the First World War is still honoured by the family.”
With Fergus’ passing, the Queen, 95, is now left with Muick and her older dorgi Candy. The monarch was spotted out with her dogs following Prince Philip’s death in April. Per the royal family’s website, the Queen has been “an animal lover since childhood” and “her greatest passions are for horses and dogs.”