The Queen suffered one final heartbreak just weeks before her death on 8 September at the age of 96, it has been revealed.
MORE: How Queen Elizabeth II spent the days leading up to her death
Her Majesty spent her final days in Balmoral - but one of her beloved companions who she has spent much of the last 18 years with was sadly not by her side as she had devastatingly lost her oldest and last surviving pet dog at the start of summer.
WATCH: Everything you need to know about the Royal Family's dogs
Candy, who was a cross between a Dachshund and a Welsh Corgi, sadly died soon after she arrived in the Scottish Highlands at the beginning of summer, leaving Her Majesty distraught.
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The loss of the crossbreed had been a huge blow to the Queen as Candy had been with her since 2004, making her more than 18 years old — a remarkable age for any dog.
© Photo: Getty ImagesOne of Her Majesty's beloved pet dogs also passed away at Balmoral
Poignantly, the dog had the same name as a much-loved yellow Labrador of Prince Philip and also had ties to Princess Margaret. It had been with her sister's Daschund Pipkin and her own corgis that the Queen first began breeding dorgis.
According to the Mail Online, the Queen surprised her team by making the decision to fly the loyal dog's remains to London and be buried in Windsor with one of her other dorgis Vulcan, who passed away in 2020.
© Photo: Getty ImagesHer Majesty had more that 30 dogs throughout her life
This was a highly unusual request as Her Majesty usually buried her dogs where they died, so their gravestones can be found at Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral and reportedly left close domestic staff under the impression that she had every intention of returning to Windsor at the end of the summer.
Her Majesty never made home from Balmoral Castle and passed away peacefully with her two remaining corgis Sandy and Muick, who were gifted to her only last year following the death of her husband, Prince Philip.
MORE: 12 cute photos of the royal family and their adorable pets
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, have revealed that they have adopted the two dogs who now live at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, where the divorced couple reside.
Throughout the seven decades of her reign, the Queen owned more than 30 dogs - and tolerated no less than the royal treatment for them. From special pet food prepared by royal chefs to joining her on tours and even accompanying her for Earl Grey and biscuits in bed each morning, the Queen's pups were a valued part of her life.
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