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Queen Elizabeth’s five month old puppy Fergus died from a heart problem it had since birth, reports have claimed.
The 95 year old monarch is said to have been left “devastated” after the dorgi, which is a dachshund-corgi mix, died at the weekend – weeks after the passing of her husband Prince Philip.
Fergus is said to have been gifted to the Queen by Prince Andrew, along with a corgi Muick, to try and cheer her up as her husband Philip, who died aged 99 on 9 April, was in hospital earlier this year.
However, months after the Queen was surprised with the pups, one of them tragically passed away.
Speaking of the cause of the dog’s death, a source told Mail Online: “Fergus had a problem with his heart at birth, but lasted much longer than they thought. Fergus was a special little puppy who saw HM through a difficult time of loss and grief.
“He was so affectionate and gave much joy. Muick, the other puppy, is thriving.”
Fergus was named after the Her Majesty’s uncle, Cpt Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who died age 26 in 1915 at the Battle of Loos in France during World War One.
The Queen also has an older dorgi dog, Candy. Fergus and Muick were the only pups she’s owned that are not direct descendants from her corgi pup Susan, which she received as a present on her 18th birthday in 1944.
Queen Elizabeth, who is said to be “very unlikely” to strip Meghan Markle and Prince Harry of their titles, is said to be deeply upset by the untimely death of her young dog.
A Windsor Castle insider told The Sun Online: “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.
“On top of that there’s been the problems with her grandson, Harry.”
The sad news comes weeks after the death of Prince Philip in April.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth were married for 73 years, making him the longest serving British royal consort.
The Queen has always had a great love for her dogs, and Prince Philip himself once referred to her method of solace as his wife’s “dog mechanism”.
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Meanwhile the monarch also once expressed how much her pups mean to her, as she said: “My corgis are family”.
Before Prince Andrew gifted the pups to the Queen, it was thought she would not own anymore dogs.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said of the Queen’s dogs: “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.”
The royal expert added to the Daily Mail: “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 way of a distraction.”
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