With Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arriving in Windsor after departing the UK capital of London one final time, eagle-eyed royalists spotted an especially moving moment throughout the live TV coverage of today's state funeral.
Her Majesty's beloved corgis Sandy and Muick waited patiently on the pavement outside Windsor Castle, accompanied by two members of attentive royal staff, as the body of the UK's longest-ever reigning monarch passed by for one final farewell.
The camera quickly panned to the much-loved pooches watching the coffin drive by, surrounded by guards and mourners who were left an emotional 'wreck' by the heart-wrenching moment. Many of whom taking to social media to express their thoughts and feelings with heavy hearts.
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The Mirror reports that many announced that it was the 'saddest' they've felt all day, while others said it was the 'highlight' of a deeply upsetting procession. One Twitter user, wrote: "Ok that did it for me, they just showed the Queen's two corgis. And I'm balling my eyes out for them," while another, simply added: "One picture is worth a thousand words."
A third spectator, agreed: "The Queen's horse, Emma, and the two corgis at her funeral broke my heart," while a fourth, penned: "The Queen's horse and corgis waiting for her really got to me. I always feel awful for animals when their humans die. Poor things don't know why their people aren't there anymore. It just breaks my heart."
Some people worried about the corgi's grief and whether they wondered where their mother had gone and 'when she'll be back'. "Just caught totally unawares by a bolt of emotion seeing a close up of two of the corgis. Always gets me when animals lose their favourite human and they don't understand where they've gone," someone said.
Prince Andrew, who has confirmed that he will look after the remaining furry friends, was spotted bowing down to check up on them. The Duke and Duchess of York will care for the two Welsh corgis, instead of passing them down to her son Charles, as the family gifted both dogs to the late monarch just last year.
It is also understood that when Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice gifted Her Majesty the dogs, they promised to take care of them should she die before them. Andrew and his family presented Queen Elizabeth II the two pups during the Coronavirus lockdown, in a bid to help her remain entertained at Windsor while her husband, Prince Philip, was in hospital.
She named the young corgi Muick, after Loch Muick on the Balmoral estate, opting to name the dorgi Fergus, after her uncle who was killed in action during World War I. The Queen was allegedly devastated when five-month-old Fergus passed just weeks later suddenly, in the aftermath of her husband's death.
He was later replaces with a new pup named Sandy, from Andrew's daughters - Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, marking her official 95th birthday in June. Andrew and Beatrice have reportedly been taking the Queen's dogs for walks in recent months.
Just before Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96, she suffered one final heartbreak at the news of her eldest dog's death. Candy, the Queen's oldest dog and longest-surviving dorgi - a cross between a dachshund and a Welsh corgi - sadly died soon after she arrived in the Scottish Highlands at the beginning of summer.
Her Majesty was said to be 'distraught' by the loss and made the decision to fly the loyal dog's remains to London and be buried in Windsor with her other long-term pet, Vulcan, who passed away in 2020.
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