Sarah Ferguson Posts Thanksgiving Photo with Queen Elizabeth's Corgis and Reveals What She's Thankful For

The Duchess of York was all smiles beside the Queen's surviving dogs, Muick and Sandy

Sarah Ferguson is voicing her joy this Thanksgiving season.

On Thursday, the Duchess of York celebrated the American holiday with a tribute on Instagram — highlighted by a Hello! photo with Queen Elizabeth’s two surviving corgis.

“Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends! We are enjoying the cool, November weather,” Fergie, 64, captioned the relaxed outdoor snap. The photo showed the Duchess smiling and sitting on a log, with Muick and Sandy by her side.

The Duchess of York, who is popularly known as Fergie, adopted Sandy and Muick after the late monarch died in September 2022 at age 96. She also shares five Norfolk terriers with her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.

“It is a perfect time to take a stroll, sip a cup of tea… or perhaps, to write something cosy, mysterious, and new. This author is sharpening her pen this autumn and feeling thankful for all of the little things,” continued the writer, who most recently published the historical fiction novel, A Most Intriguing Lady, in March.

She ended her caption by asking, “What are you thankful for this festive season?”

Related: Could Sarah Ferguson Have a New Role as Morning TV Host?

Last year, PEOPLE confirmed that Prince Andrew and Fergie, who divorced in 1996 after a decade of marriage but remain on friendly terms, inherited the Queen’s corgis upon her death last September. The dogs had been a gift to the Queen from the Duke and Duchess of York and their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

At the time, a source said Fergie previously "bonded with Her Majesty over dog-walking and riding horses and even after her divorce, she would continue her great friendship with Her Majesty, by walking the dogs in Frogmore and chatting."

A dog lover throughout life, Queen Elizabeth received her first corgi as a child in 1933 from her father, the future King George VI, and went on to own over 30 corgis and dachshund-corgi mixes known as "dorgis."

While the sovereign opted to stop taking on new dogs in the mid-2010s because, according to The Telegraph, she did not want to leave any dog behind when she died, her royal pack expanded when the Yorks gave her Muick and Sandy in 2021.

In an emotional scene on the day of her state funeral in September 2022, Sandy and Muick were brought out to watch the arrival of the Queen’s coffin to Windsor Castle ahead of the committal service at St. George’s Chapel. Showing a close bond, Prince Andrew went over to say hello.

Speaking to PEOPLE around the release of A Most Intriguing Lady this spring, Fergie joked that caring for the U.K.'s most famous pets came with some stress.

"They are national icons, so every time they run chasing a squirrel, I panic," the Duchess of York said of the corgis. "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.”

She added, "They're with me a lot, and they think I'm very funny.”

Related: Sarah Ferguson Calls Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Her 'Soulmates' Amid Cancer Diagnosis (Exclusive)

The corgis were a comfort to the Duchess over the summer as she recovered from surgery following a breast cancer diagnosis.

In late June, a representative for the Duchess of York told PEOPLE she was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer at a prescheduled mammogram and underwent surgery.

Fergie kept fans updated through the summer about her recovery, and recapped a therapeutic walk she took with the dogs in a July post on Instagram. “I took all 7 doggies yesterday to where Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth used to walk them. It was wonderful to have a moment to remember,” she wrote, sharing shots of flowers along an outdoor trail.

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In November, The V Foundation for Cancer Research announced the Sarah Ferguson V Scholar Grant for Breast Cancer Research in honor of the Duchess of York. The Duchess will help select a research grant recipient by the end of 2024 in partnership with the V Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee.

The new initiative aligns with her longtime advocacy for cancer patients, survivors and research as patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust and the work of her foundation Sarah’s Trust.

It also hits close to home for Fergie, who has credited early detection as critical in her story and tells PEOPLE she is grateful to advocate today.

“Early detection is absolutely key and might have saved my life. It [is] easy to forget to prioritize our health and proactive care. Had my dear sister not urged me to keep the appointment I almost canceled, I might not have caught my cancer early enough to be able to treat it as effectively,” the Duchess says.

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