Queen's touching note to vet who treated her Corgi reveals monarch's 'dread' over losing her 'faithful companion'

The Queen's heartwarming note to the vet who treated her dying dog, Susan, reveals that the monarch had always 'dreaded' losing the beloved Corgi. 

• The Queen revealed she had always 'dreaded' the death of her Corgi, Susan, in a heartfelt letter to the vet who treated the beloved royal dog. 
• Her Majesty's Pembroke Welsh Corgi, whom she had received as an 18th birthday gift, was known for following around the monarch on her royal engagements. 
• In other royal news, Princess Anne’s history-making moment that would’ve made Prince Philip proud.
  

The Queen once shared one of her biggest fears in a heartfelt letter to her vet, admitting she had always 'dreaded' losing her beloved dog. 

The former Princess had never been shy about her love of Susan, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi gifted to her on her 18th birthday by her father, King George VI. The adorable hound would go on to become a staple part of Her Majesty's early public image, accompanying the monarch on multiple engagements in London and even on her travels across the UK. 

Susan sadly died on January 26, 1959, after being diagnosed with a liver tumor and undergoing surgery in Cambridge. 

She was buried in the pet cemetery at Sandringham House, joining the remains of other deceased royal dogs, including Queen Victoria's collie, Noble. Susan's gravestone, which was designed by Her Majesty, was inscribed with the poignant words: "For almost 15 years, the faithful companion of the Queen."

After Susan's death, the Queen sent a touching letter to veterinarian Harold Swann, thanking him for his efforts in trying to save the dog's life. Written in ink on Sandringham House stationery, the note also revealed just how worried Elizabeth II was about the death of her canine friend during those somber final days. 

"I would like to thank you for all you did for my dear old Susan when she became ill, and for the immense amount of trouble you took in getting her sent to Cambridge and for all the care she had while she was there," the monarch wrote. "I had always dreaded losing her as I had had her since she was six weeks old, but I am ever so thankful that her suffering was so mercifully short."

The Queen was also personally involved in the medical treatment of Susan, providing written answers to Dr. Swann's questions about the fragile dog's health on a 'scruffy pad of headed notepaper' shortly before her death, according to royal journalist Penny Junor. 

Her Majesty told the vet that her dog had "always been fat" but had become noticeably bigger in the past week, and was particularly thirsty after meals.