Meghan Markle may be rich, famous, and royal, but that does not mean that the past few months in lockdown amidst the coronavirus pandemic has not been a struggle for her. It has just been revealed that to get through this difficult time, Meghan has been relying heavily on the “support” of her two rescue dogs.

One of Meghan’s favorite organizations in the world is Mayhew, which is dedicated to helping dogs and cats in London and beyond. Meghan has kept in close contact with Mayhew over the past year, and she’s opened up to staffers about her love for animals.

“Whenever we talk to the Duchess about the charity, she always references how important her dogs are and what a support they are, particularly during everything that’s happened this year, with COVID, and with the personal trials and tribulations she went through this year,” Mayhew CEO Caroline Yates told Hello! Magazine.

“It was really nice to share our experiences with her about how important animals are when things are tough and what a comfort they can be,” Yates added. “That’s what Mayhew is all about, that’s what we want to try and encourage, we want to try to promote the human-animal bond and what a great source of comfort and stimulation, and joy pet ownership can be.”

She went on to say that it was a “total surprise” that Meghan chose to be a patron of Mayhew after marrying Prince Harry in 2018.

“I think what struck her about Mayhew is our work with communities,” Yates said. “We work with marginalized groups in society, we work with the homeless, we work with elderly people who are struggling to look after their pets and their home and we work with a lot of people who have mental health conditions that need support and guidance, but get so much from their pets, so we try and ensure that they stay together, but without compromising the welfare of the animal. I think that’s what she found attractive and interesting.”

Newsweek reported in May of last year that Meghan was in regular communication with Mayhew.

“The Duchess is in touch and working with Mayhew at this time. … One thing many people may not realize is the range of work Mayhew does,” a spokesperson for Meghan said at the time. “It is not your classic animal charity. They are supporting so many other people in the community too.”