Queen 'devastated' after new puppy died over weekend - reports
19 May 2021, 06:43
The Queen has been left "devastated" after a puppy given to her while Prince Philip was in hospital died over the weekend, according to reports.
Fergus was a young dorgi puppy, a Dachshund-Corgi mix, who was brought in to cheer her up when the Duke of Edinburgh fell ill in February.
The upsetting news comes just over a month after the death of her husband aged 99.
A source told the Sun: "The Queen is absolutely devastated.
"The puppies were brought in to cheer her up during a very difficult period.
"Everyone concerned is upset as this comes so soon after she lost her husband."
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A royal expert said the Queen saw Fergus and another new puppy, a corgi named Muick, as a "distraction" while she was grieving.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said: "The thinking was enough was enough, and that she was getting too old for new dogs and who would look after them when she was gone.
"But clearly that decision was reversed and, as it turned out, it probably is very fortuitous. I think it's useful to have these puppies in her life now as a way of a distraction."
The monarch's love of dogs and horses has been well documented in the past, with corgis a well-known favourite of hers.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment.
