Meghan Markle Mourns Death of Rescue Beagle Guy: 'I Have Cried Too Many Tears to Count'

Meghan Markle is mourning the loss of her beloved rescue beagle Guy.

On Tuesday, January 7, the 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex shared the personal news on her new Instagram account, writing in part: “I’ve cried too many tears to count – the kind you shower with in the absurd hope that the water on your face somehow won’t feel it, or pretend they aren’t there. And that’s okay for so many years of unconditional love, my dear Guy, you’ve filled my life in ways you’ll never know.”

Guy has been a constant presence through Meghan’s many milestones – from her Suits the days leading up to Harry’s proposal in the garden and even the day of her royal wedding. In 2017, as Harry got down on one knee in the garden to propose, Guy faithfully sat by his side. In the couple’s documentary from 2022. Harry & Meghanthe interviewer asked about Harry’s position during the proposal. With a cheeky grin, the prince replied, “Downward dog.”

He also made a cameo in the trailer for the Duchess’ upcoming lifestyle series, With love, Meghangetting comfortable in his dog bed next to her in the kitchen.

Guy had a fairytale rescue story that began at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, a victim shelter in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. Volunteers transported him to Ontario, Canada’s A Dog’s Dream Rescue in 2015, and shortly after his arrival, Meghan, 43, emailed the rescue after finding his page on Petfinder. She thought a beagle — a breed known for being energetic, kind and gentle — would be a good match for her, and Dolores Doherty, founder and owner of A Dog’s Dream Rescue, agreed and emailed Meghan an adoption application to fill out. She returned the completed application after only 10 minutes.

Meghan Markle and her dog, Guy.

Meghan Markle/Instagram

Doherty invited Meghan – who has yet to meet Prince Harry, 40 – to an upcoming adoption at a local pet shop and Meghan turned up. Although Doherty did not know who Meghan was at the time (Meghan was a busy actress, she starred in a television show Suits at the time), said she was in awe of her sense of self, decency and “her beauty that really stood out,” she previously told PEOPLE.

Shortly after arriving at the event, Meghan set her sights on Guy, quickly smitten with the rescue dog after taking him for a test walk. Meghan adopted him, and Guy quickly became a regular on Meghan’s previous Instagram account, which she deleted in 2018 before marrying into the royal family.

Meghan Markle and her dogs. Meghan Markle/Instagram Palace Palace and car rides with the Queen — Meghan Markle’s rescue dog is living her own fairy tale

“This dog has a charmed life,” Doherty said she remembers thinking to herself after seeing photos of Meghan and the cute beagle with “magnificent ears and eyes.”

On Meghan deciding to adopt: “It’s just beautiful, the exposure she’s created,” Doherty added. “She could have bought a dog, but she decided to adopt it.”

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Guy. Evening Standard/Twitter

Eventually, when Meghan moved to the UK to start her life there with Prince Harry, Guy joined her. In 2017, Guy suffered a setback when he broke two of his legs, leaving Meghan “freaked out” and “very upset”. Under the care of renowned vet Noel Fitzpatrick, Guy recovered, and when Harry and Meghan announced their engagement that November, he briefly mentioned in their engagement interview when Meghan said: “Well, I’ve got two dogs that I’ve had for a long time, both my rescue puppy. One is with very close friends now and my other little one is — yes, he’s in the UK, he’s been here for a while.”

Meghan, Harry and Guy, seen in ‘Harry & Meghan’ on Netflix. Netflix

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The second dog, Bogart, was brought home by Meghan thanks to a push from none other than Ellen DeGeneres. Meghan once said Best health that she was at the dog shelter when DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi walked in. DeGeneres asked Meghan if Bogart, a German Shepherd/Lab mix, was her dog, and Meghan said she was deciding whether or not to adopt him. After DeGeneres said, “Save the dog!” Meghan said: “It’s like Oprah telling you to do something. I’m sitting there holding him, and she says, ‘Have you come up with a name for him yet?’ I said, ‘Well, I think I’d call him Bogart,’ and she said, ‘You’re taking the dog home.’ ”

“And she goes outside to get into her car, but instead of getting in, she turns around and walks over, knocks on the window and yells, ‘Get the dog!’ And so I brought him home. Because Ellen told me so,” Meghan added.

Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres. Karwai Tang/WireImage; Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Ahead of her royal wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, Guy even had a book published about his fairytale story called His Royal Dog, Guy the Beagle: The Rebarkable True Story of Meghan Markle’s Rescue Dog. On her wedding day, Guy sat at Meghan’s feet while she did her hair and makeup.

Meghan’s love of dogs was not only a point of attraction as she and Prince Harry fell in love, but also charmed Queen Elizabeth. During their engagement interview, Harry revealed that Meghan charmed the Queen — and her corgis! — saying: “Corgiji accepted her immediately. I’ve spent the last 33 years being barked at — this one comes in, absolutely nothing.”

Meghan replied: “They were on my feet during tea!”

“I was just wagging my tail – and I was like, ah,” Harry said in response.

Harry also wrote in his 2023 memoir Spare that “fur babies” were one of the topics he and Meghan connected with King Charles and Queen Camilla when she first met them in 2016, the same year she and Harry met and began their relationship.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (L) and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (C), and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, listen as her husband Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (unseen) speaks during the Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday A garden party at Buckingham Palace in London on May 22, 2018. DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP via Getty Images Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s holiday card first includes a surprise for this family member

In 2018, Harry and Meghan adopted a black labrador, Pula, which means “rain” in Setswana, the official language of Botswana, where Harry and Meghan had their third date.

In 2022, the couple — now parents to Archie and Lilibet who live in Montecito — adopted an elderly rescue beagle named Mamma Mia, rescued by the Beagle Freedom Project from a breeder in Virginia. Guy, Pula and Mamma Mia are featured in Harry and Meghan’s 2024 holiday card — a first for Mamma Mia, as Guy and Pula have been featured in previous holiday cards.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the most loving, sensitive and caring adoptive parents I have ever met!” animal rights attorney Shannon Keith, who runs the Beagle Freedom Project, told PEOPLE. “We were so honored to support the Beagle Freedom Project and decided to adopt a dog that was being abused.”

Keith added that Harry and Meghan could have taken one of the many puppies available, but chose to adopt an older dog.

Momma Mia, the beagle rescued by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Beagle Freedom Project/Mega

“They went out of their way to adopt a rescue named Mia, who most would ignore because she’s older, has health issues and is traumatized by her past,” Keith said. “I was so impressed with their commitment to animal welfare! They followed us and kept us updated on how well Mama Mia was doing in her new, beautiful home!”

While working as a royal, one of Meghan’s patrons was the Mayhew animal shelter and charity, and she wrote candidly about being a rescue dog owner in the organization’s 2019 annual report.

“As a proud owner of a rescue dog, I know from personal experience the joy that adopting an animal can bring into your home,” she wrote.

“The role we, as humans, play in rehoming and rescuing these animals is vital, but the role of organizations like Mayhew is second to none. The first thing that particularly struck me about Mayhew is their community-based approach to not only rehoming animals, but preventive care that prevents these cats and dogs from ending up in shelters in the first place,” she continued.

“Choosing to adopt a pet is a big decision that comes with a lot of responsibility, but an endless return on investment,” Meghan continued. “It will change your life without a doubt.”

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during a digital responsibility forum at EAN University during her visit to Colombia on August 15, 2024 in Bogota, Colombia.

Diego Cuevas/Getty Images

During a visit to Mayhew in January 2019, Meghan – who was “very natural with dogs, as a human should be”, said executive director Caroline Yates – told an anecdote about Guy, who had previously been abused and left to run wild.

“He was petrified when he entered the front door. He didn’t know how to go up and down stairs,” Meghan said. “All the things you’re patient with and then you end up with the best dog in the world.”

During a difficult year that saw Harry and Meghan step back as royals, move to the US and suffer a pregnancy loss, Yates said Meghan’s dogs were a source of “support” for the Duchess of Sussex.

“Whenever we talk to the Duchess about the charity, she always mentions how important her dogs are and how supportive they are, especially during everything that’s happened this year, with COVID and the personal trials and tribulations she’s been through this year,” he said. is Yates on Meghan’s 2020.

“It was very nice to share my experiences with her about how important animals are when things are hard and what a comfort they can be,” she added.

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