If the corgis of Queen Elizabeth II are often considered the stars of the British royal family, the dogs of King Charles and Queen Camilla, those of Kate and William or Harry and Meghan are less known to the general public. Long-time companions or newcomers, find out who the Windsors’ four-legged best friends are.
“We all need a dog to calm us down. I have three at home right now. It’s a bit like having five kids.” As Prince Harry addresses the winners of the WellChildAwards on Monday, October 10, 2022 – an initiative working for the well-being of sick children that he has sponsored since 2007 – the Duke of Sussex is candid in mentioning his three dogs ; Pula, Guy and Mia. Visibly attached to his companions, the father of Archie and Lilibet considers them as his own children, and complains with amusement of their boundless energy, as reported by the DailyMail “They’re running around chasing squirrels and giving us all kinds of trouble during the day.”
While images of the Sussex dogs are scarce, Pula, Guy and Mia make a stealthy appearance with the Duchess of Sussex during an interview Meghan with Gloria Steinem on behalf of feminist organization MakersWomen.
But beyond the incredible adventures of Pula the Labrador and Guy and Mia, the beagles taken in by the couple, Prince Harry underlines the therapeutic virtues he derives from his relationship with his dogs: “When they behave well, they are very emotionally supportive.” Committed to mental health issues, he explained in the Masters of Scale podcast in April 2022 the importance of being accompanied by specialists and free speech. “99.9% of people on the planet are suffering from some form of loss, trauma or grief. The more we understand them, the more we will understand each other,” reported The Telegraph. Himself traumatized by the disappearance of his mother, Princess Diana, at only 12 years old, the son of Charles III seeks to have mental health disorders recognized and to better tame them. For him, this approach notably involves his relationship with Pula, Guy and Mia.
Kate and William, cocker spaniels
Like his younger brother, Prince William also has a faithful companion. For their daughter’s seventh birthday in May 2022, the Prince and Princess of Wales revealed on Instagram photos of Princess Charlotte, all smiles, sitting in a flowery meadow. In one of the photos, the little girl proudly posed with Orla, the family’s cocker spaniel.
Raised by James Middleton – Princess Catherine’s brother spoke in the press, as early as 2019, of his depression and the emotional support of his dogs who helped him overcome the disease – Orla is actually Kate’s second dog. and William.
From 2011 to 2020, the family lived with Lupo, a cocker spaniel adopted in 2011 when Kate and William lived on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, as recalled Town & Country. Lupo had quickly made a name for himself in the family and regularly appeared on the official portraits of the children, such as the one unveiled on the occasion of Prince George’s third birthday in 2016.
Very saddened by the disappearance of their pet, the Prince and Princess of Wales had announced the death of their dog on their social networks: “It is with great sorrow that we inform you of the death of our dear Lupo He was the center of our family for the past nine years and he will be sadly missed.” Prior to her disappearance, George’s parents, Charlotte and Louis had rushed to adopt Orla, in the hope that her death would not affect the young princes and the princess too much, still according to Town & Country.
Bluebell and Beth: Charles and Camilla’s Jack Russells
Exit the corgis, bring in the Jack Russells! When in July 2022 Queen Consort Camilla was on the cover of the magazine Country Life for her 75th birthday, the wife of King Charles III posed with Beth, one of her two 10-year-old Jack Russells. In another shot, the animal was posing alongside his sidekick Bluebell, a year his senior. Charles and Camilla’s two dogs were even featured in a magazine photo series called “girls in pearls” – or “girls who wear pearls” – at the request of their owner, as pointed out The Telegraph.
Companions of the royal couple since 2017, Bluebell and Beth were picked up by Charles’ wife on her way to a shelter in the London Borough of Battersea, reports The Evening Standard. “I had been to Battersea and there Beth appeared. She had just arrived at the kennel, explained the queen consort. We wanted to find her a friend. The shelter rescued Bluebell two or three weeks later, when “She was wandering in the woods, hairless, covered in sores, practically dead. They brought her back to life. She’s very sweet, but a little neurotic, shall we say.”
Muick and Sandy: the queen’s corgis at Prince Andrew’s
In an interview with the daily The Telegraph, Sarah Ferguson evoked, a few weeks after the death of Elizabeth II, the integration of the two corgis of the queen, Muick and Sandy, in their new family: “They are national treasures who have been very well educated”, comments the ex-wife of Prince Andrew. “They all get along,” she adds, referring to the five Norfolk terriers the couple already own.
The Duke of York, who offered the Queen’s last two companions at the start of 2022, inherited the corgis. Muick and Sandy now live at Royal Lodge, the residence of Sarah, Duchess of York, and Prince Andrew on the Windsor Estate.
Corgis, dorgis, jack russell, labradors, beagles or cockers, canines have always had a place of choice within the royal family. If it is said that the dog is the best friend of the man, it holds a dominating role in the life of Windsor.