The Queen has helped to solve the mystery of a virulent illness on her land that has killed at least eight dogs.

Her Majesty's beloved royal canines had been falling ill after going out for walks in the woods on the royal estate at Sandringham.

Almost 50 dogs that exercised at Sandringham contracted the illness. Two that walked on the estate died this year, while six died in 2010.

Almost 100 cases have been reported in the UK as a whole, but Sandringham was the worst affected area.

The Queen was forced to warn dog owners that her land had been particularly badly hit, and put up signs to stop walkers traversing the affected tracts of woodland.

However after contacting experts at the Animal Health Trust to investigate, the outbreak appears to have been quelled, reports the Daily Mail.

No animals have fallen ill in the last month and the worst now seems to be over.

The Mail says that botanists have ruled out an idea that a fungus may have been to blame. The Trust now believes it was linked to bites from an infestation of harvest mites.