THE QUEEN has reportedly been left “devastated” after a puppy gifted to her while Prince Philip was in hospital passed away.
According to The Sun, five-month-old Fergus died over the weekend after first falling ill back in February.
The dog, which was a mix of dachshund and Welsh corgi, of Dorgi for short, was one of two puppies gifted to the British Monarch by Prince Andrew.
Andrew gave the Queen the dogs in the hopes of lifting her spirits while her late husband was in hospital.
Fergus was named after Elizabeth’s maternal uncle Fergus Bowes-Lyon.
Bowes-Lyon died in the First World War, during the Bowes-Lyon was killed during the Battle of the Hohenzollern Redoubt in the Battle of Loos.
He was killed while bravely leading an attack on German lines.
A source inside the palace told The Sun: “The Queen is absolutely devastated.
“The puppies were brought in to cheer her up during a very difficult period,” they said.
“Everyone concerned is upset as this comes so soon after she lost her husband,” they added.
(Photo by Paul Edwards-WPA Pool/Getty Images)Prince Andrew also gifted the Queen a corgi who was christened Muick after the famous Loch Muick in Scotland.
The arrival of Fergus and Muick had added significance for the Queen as the first to not directly descend from Susan, the dog she was given on her 18th birthday in 1944.
All told, the Queen has owned 30 corgis during her time on the throne.
The passing of Fergus comes just over a month after Prince Philip sadly died, aged 99.
The Queen had been married to the Duke of Edinburgh for 70 years.
