The Queen died on Thursday (September 8) at Balmoral Castle aged 96, leaving behind two dogs. A spokesman for Prince Andrew said he and Sarah will take care of the animals, named Muick and Sandy. Both dogs were given to the late monarch by the duke. The Queen was a famous fan of the breed and owned more than 30 corgis during her lifetime. In early 2021, she was given two new puppies, a corgi and a dorgi, corgi-dachsund mix. The dogs were given to the monarch while she was staying in Windsor during the lockdown to keep her entertained while the Duke of Edinburgh was in hospital. They also arrived as Buckingham Palace and the royal family grappled with bombshell claims made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that rocked the monarchy. The Queen named the dorgi Fergus after an uncle, her mother’s brother Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who was killed in World War I in 1915. She named the corgi Muick, after a favorite spot near Balmoral Castle, where she traditionally spent her summers. However, the late monarch was left devastated after five-month-old Fergus died just weeks after taking him in – shortly after Prince Philip’s death in April 2021. The Queen in 1980 with some of her corgis walking the cross country track during the second day of the Windsor (PA) Horse Trials (PA Wire) It was later replaced with a new corgi puppy by Andrew and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie for her official 95th birthday, which the Queen named Sandy. Dresser Angela Kelly said the puppies were a constant source of joy. According to The Telegraph, a source close to the duke said: “The duchess bonded with HRH for dog walking and horse riding and even after her divorce, she would continue her great friendship with HRH by walking the dogs at Frogmore and chatting.” Andrew appeared in public on Saturday (September 10) for the first time since his father’s memorial service in March this year. The Duke attended a prayer service for the Queen at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral along with other members of the Royal Family, including his daughters. The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis during her lifetime (AFP via Getty Images) He thanked the crowd for visiting Balmoral and said in a short speech: “We’ve been allowed one day, now we’re starting the delivery process [the Queen] on.” He added: “Nice to see you, thanks for coming.” Andrew’s appearance comes after he lost his role as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, along with other military titles and royal patronage, in January. He resigned from public life because of his friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and after paying millions to settle a civil sexual assault lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Geoffre. The duke categorically denies all the accusations against him and firmly claims that he has never met Giuffre. He reached a £10m settlement with her in February, including damages to Giuffre and a donation to charity to stop the case progressing to a civil trial.
