Along with billions of other people all over the world, I have been so struck by the outpouring of love for our beloved late Queen Elizabeth.  I have cried as I watched in awe all the tributes and ceremonies that have taken place, but, as she was taken for the last time to Windsor Castle, there was one little informal moment that touched my heart.  As the hearse arrived, there was a shot of a footman holding two of the corgis by the leads.

There have been so many sweet cartoons featuring not only Her Majesty and Paddington, but also corgis accompanying her on her last journey, and this has got me thinking of the roles animals play in the afterlife.

I have just been rereading one of my favourite books, Chocolat by the wonderful Joanne Harris.  One of the characters is an old boy whose beloved dog dies and he is very upset because the local priest has told him that dogs don’t have souls, but he can’t believe this is so.  

I have always thought that animals communicate with us both in this world and the other much more than we realise.  I have never given my dogs single words of command, but have spoken to them normally.  With the glaring exception of the recalcitrant Bassett Hound, they have generally understood and done what I asked, and so I have been thinking that if human souls can give us messages, what about our beloved pets?

As many of you know, I am a devoted fan of the incredible Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo.  I watch in awe as she channels loved ones who have passed over, but in a couple of programmes I saw recently, she channelled a cat, a horse and someone’s beloved dog.  The messages came through as clearly as from humans and told their owners things that nobody could have known except the animal in question.  It gave huge comfort to the owners but also huge comfort to me as I still feel a hole in my heart left by the passing of my beautiful Golden Retriever, Sydney and I know he will be waiting for me on the other side, long plume of a tail wagging nineteen to the dozen.

When I heard the news about our dear Queen, I got a lovely picture in my mind of Prince Philip surrounded by a whole pack of corgis saying, “Alright Lilibet.  You’ve done your Jubilee and sworn in the new Prime Minister.  It’s time now.”

God bless you, Ma’am and thank you for everything.