Queen Elizabeth II Was Comforted By Her Beloved Corgis 'In Her Final Hours,' Says Source
In the moments leading up to the monarch's death on Sept. 8, her dogs, Sandy and Muic, were by her side at Balmoral Castle.
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Queen Elizabeth II's cherished corgis were with her to the end.
The late monarch, who died on Sept. 8 at 96 years old, took comfort in the company of her pups -- Sandy and Muick -- as she prepared to say her final goodbyes. The dogs had been given to her as a gift by Prince Andrew, who has now taken over their care, and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
A source tells ET, "Queen Elizabeth’s beloved corgis were with her in her final hours in her room at Balmoral," adding that the pair "were there to comfort the queen."
In addition to her corgis, Elizabeth also was able to see her eldest son, King Charles III, her daughter, Princess Anne, and Charles' wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort, before she died. Other members of the royal family, including her grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry, traveled to Balmoral upon the news of her declining health, but sadly did not make it in time to see the late monarch before she died.
Sandy and Muick were also seen loyally waiting for their late owner as the queen's coffin returned to Windsor Castle before her burial last week.
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The moment was "a touching" one, said Dr. Roger Mugford -- an animal psychologist who previously worked with the queen's dogs.
Elizabeth was long known for her love of dogs, and it's something, Mugford believes, that likely brought her joy as her health declined.
"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."
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