Sarah Ferguson: ‘Queen’s corgis are over their grief’

3 April 2023

Sarah Ferguson believes the Queen’s corgis are “over their grief”.

Sarah Ferguson believes the Queen’s corgis are ‘over their grief’

The Duchess of York, 63, who was married to the late Queen’s son Prince Andrew for 10 years, has been looking after the royal’s beloved corgis Sandy and Muick since her death aged 96 on September 8 at her Balmoral estate, and recently told People magazine she was convinced the dogs were barking at the former monarch’s ghost.

She has now said the animals have cheered up, telling Rylan Clark, 34, on his BBC Radio 2 show: “They’re great, they’re really happy, and their tails have gone up now, so I think they are over their grief.”

The dogs were moved to Royal Lodge, the Windsor home Sarah shares with her ex-husband Andrew, 63, who she divorced in 1996 after had daughters Princesses Eugenie, 33, and 34-year-old Beatrice.

Sarah added the dogs are “so sweet”, saying: “I think they’ve been trained by (the Queen) to be so gentle.

“When you take a little digestive biscuit and break like she used to with her little hands...she must have put a little biccie in front of them, and they gently take it.”

Sarah told People magazine about the dogs, which were given to the Queen as a present from her, Andrew and their daughters: “I always think that when they bark at nothing, and there’s no squirrels in sight, I believe it’s because the Queen is passing by.”

She added the Queen, who passed away at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, had “the most incredible faith” in God and hailed her as her “total idol” as one of her greatest skills was putting people at ease in her presence.

The duchess, who stayed close to the Queen after her split from Andrew, added: “She put you at ease straightaway… because it’s terrifying, you know?

“I used to sit there for hours thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is somebody’s lifetime to have an audience with the Queen, and I’m sitting having a cup of tea.’

“She had the most incredible faith of any single person I’ve ever met. She just knew what to do. She knew how to make people feel good... she was my total idol.”