An Ammanford woman who helped Queen Elizabeth II breed corgis says she was “devastated” by the news of Her Majesty’s death on Thursday.

Mary Davies met the Queen on multiple occasions since they first met in 1992, and has reflected on a “charming and wonderful” monarch.

Mary was selected in the early 1990s to visit Windsor with her corgis, along with seven other corgi enthusiasts.

She said: “The person who helped her with the corgis asked us to go over with our dogs. The Queen met us individually and had a look at our dogs, and she chose mine.”

The Queen showed her appreciation to Mary by giving her one of the puppies out the litter.

“Another time I met her was at the Powys Picnic in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee," Mary added.

"The Welsh Corgi Club gave her a piece of glassware with corgis on it. She saw me and came straight over, and I had the puppy I had from her with me.

“She saw the corgi and looked to Prince Philip and said, ‘Look Philip, it’s one of ours.’”

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Looking back on meeting the Queen, Mary said: “I was very sad, devastated to hear the news yesterday. She was a very special person.

"She was as charming and wonderful as she came across, every bit as.

“She was such a lovely lady, and could put you at ease. You’d be there thinking ‘Ooh, I’m about to meet the Queen,’ and all the nerves would come.

“She treats everybody the same, and talks to you like two friends would to each other.

"And I think anyone who has anything to do with corgis, she was even more friendly with.”

Mary, who is several months older than the new King Charles III, got her first corgi for her tenth birthday, and has continued to own them throughout her life.

She currently has four (one of which she called “a very naughty puppy”).

She continued: “I kept going on at my parents asking for a dog, and they said I could have one for my tenth birthday. But my mother was the one who said it had to be a corgi because of the Queen.”"