Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved corgis accompanied her until the end.
As she prepared to say her last goodbyes, the late queen, who died on September 8 at the age of 96, sought comfort in the companionship of her puppies, Sandy and Muick. The canines were a gift from Prince Andrew and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who have now taken over their care.
“Queen Elizabeth’s beloved corgis were with her in her final hours in her room at Balmoral,” a source said, adding that the pair “were there to console the queen.”
Elizabeth was able to visit her eldest son, King Charles III, her daughter, Princess Anne, and Charles’ wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort, before she died, in addition to her corgis. Other members of the royal family, including her grandchildren Prince William and Prince Harry, flew to Balmoral after learning of her failing health, but were unable to visit the late monarch before she died.
Sandy and Muick were also photographed waiting for their late owner when the queen’s coffin was returned to Windsor Castle last week before her burial.
Dr. Roger Mugford, an animal psychologist who previously worked with the queen’s dogs, described the occasion as “touching.”
Elizabeth was well-known for her love of dogs, which Mugford feels offered her delight as her health deteriorated.
“It was so lovely that, in her last couple of years, she had two little corgis and and other dogs around her,” he recently told ET, “because there’s no doubt that any of us, at any stage in our life, but particularly when our life feels like it’s declining and stressful… to be able to reach and stroke and be loved by an uncritical admirer, which is a dog, is a great comfort.”