Sarah Ferguson thinks the Queen's ghost visits her corgis

When the Queen sadly passed away last September, her two remaining corgis — Muick and Sandy — went to Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who had originally gifted Elizabeth the dogs.

Now that the corgis live with her, the Duchess of York has revealed that she thinks they sense their late owner's presence around the Windsor grounds.

"They are national icons, so every time they run chasing a squirrel, I panic," the Duchess told People while promoting her new book. "But they're total joys, and 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."

Speaking to Hello!, the Duchess explained: "The corgis are very nice and very polite and well trained. I am their favourite but everybody always says it’s just because I feed them gravy bones. I love everything about them and I spoil them the most."

Sarah had a close relationship with the late Queen, her mother-in-law, thanks in part to the fact that the monarch spent so much time in Windsor, where the Duchess also lives.

Speaking to People, Sarah described how much she admired Elizabeth II.

"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,'" the Duchess said.

"She was so brilliant at putting you at ease. 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 never took it onboard as about her. It's about the monarchy, about making someone feel good. She was my total idol."

The Queen was a lifelong lover of corgis, having owned some 30 of the dog breed over the years. When she died, Muick and Sandy were brought out to say goodbye to her ahead of her Committal Service, before Sarah and Andrew adopted them.