Prince Andrew Gifted Queen Elizabeth Her New Puppies For A Surprising Reason

Prince Philip, who died on April 9, 2021 was survived by his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, whom he wed on November 20, 1947. Together, they had four children — Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward; eight grandchildren — Prince William, Prince Harry, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn; and 10 great-grandchildren (via biography.com).

Of the queen's royal children, her son Prince Andrew surprised her with two new puppies — a corgi named Muick and dachshund-corgi cross named Fergus (via Page Six). Over the years, Queen Elizabeth has had over 30 corgis and dorgis (the dachshund-corgi mixes), according to Today, though a source told The Sun that she was not "getting any new dogs, as she feared she was getting too old."

However, she now has a couple of furry additions to her life, thanks to her third child. And they came during a tough moment for some much-needed emotional support.

The reasoning behind Prince Andrew's surprise gift to his mother was quite sweet, as the two new puppies were given to her "when she felt down and alone in the castle," due to Prince Philip being sick and hospitalized for four weeks in February (via Page Six).

After the passing of his father, Prince Andrew spoke out, saying, "I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother, who's feeling it, I think, probably more than everyone else. The Queen, as you'd expect, is an incredibly stoic person. She described his passing as a miracle. She's contemplating, I think is the way that I would put it. She described it as having left a huge void in her life, but we, the family, the ones that are close to her, are rallying around to make sure we are there to support her" (via People).

The pups seem to be adding to that support, as The Sun reported The Queen is "delighted" and that the dogs are "bringing in a lot of noise and energy into the castle."