Another heartbreak for Queen Elizabeth II as her new dorgi dies at just five months

One of Queen Elizabeth II's dorgi puppies, who was a huge support to her as she grieved the loss of her husband Prince Philip, has died aged just five months.

The puppy, who the Queen named Fergus, was adopted by her earlier this year alongside another dorgi puppy called Muick. According to a report in The Sun, Fergus died over the weekend at Windsor Castle, where the monarch has been staying since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year.

It was Prince Andrew who gifted the dachshund-corgi crossbreed puppies to his mother in February this year, soon after Prince Philip was admitted to the hospital. The queen used to walk Fergus and Muick and Candy, one of her older dorgis, around the grounds of Windsor Castle to keep herself occupied after the Duke of Edinburgh's death on April 9 at the age of 99.

A palace insider told the Telegraph at the time that the new puppies were a "welcome distraction" for the Queen and had taken on even "greater significance" since her husband of 73 years passed away. Walking the pets reportedly became her way of "coping with misfortune and great unhappiness".

The recent death of Fergus has further "devastated" the 95-year-old. A Windsor Castle insider told The Sun: "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 Queen's love for dogs, particularly corgis, is well known, and she has adopted more than 30 in her life. However, Fergus and Muick are believed to be the first ones that aren't direct descendants of Susan, a corgi she was gifted on her 18th birthday in 1944.

There were reports last year that the monarch has decided not to adopt any more pets after the death of her corgi, Vulcan, in October, as she feared they could become a trip hazard in her old age. However, she ended up welcoming Fergus and Muick this year. After the death of Fergus, the Queen is left with only two dorgis- Muick and Candy, who is the last living descendant of Susan.