The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a sweet tribute to their adorable dog on National Pet Day.
Taking to Instagram, the royal couple posted a never-before-seen picture of their black cocker spaniel, Orla, to mark the annual celebration of pets.
The high-resolution image features the gorgeous pup perched on the grass looking intently at something in the distance – her bright amber eyes glistening in the shot.
In the sweet picture, the pup appears to be slightly damp suggesting she has taken a dip through a body of water or been bounding through wet fields.
Captioning the picture, William, 42, and Kate, 43, wrote: ‘Celebrating the animals who bring so much joy, companionship and love to our lives this #NationalPetDay.’
The Walses’ are thought to have welcomed the gorgeous pooch in 2020, in the same year that their former family dog, Lupo, died.
A source at the time told The Mail on Sunday that the whole family were ‘besotted’ with their new pup.
‘They were devastated when Lupo passed away,’ the friend added. ‘It was hoped that a younger dog would give Lupo some company and give him a little more life and energy.’
The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a sweet tribute to their adorable dog on National Pet Day
Taking to Instagram, the royal couple posted a never-before-seen picture of their black cocker spaniel, Orla, to mark the annual celebration of pets
The cocker spaniel was the puppy of James’s Middleton’s dog, Ella. The younger sibling of Kate is known for his passion for pups and currently owns a whopping six dogs.
James – who is patron of several dog-related charities, founder of a dog food brand and even the author of a book about one of his beloved dogs, titled Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life – owns six pooches are called Zulu, Inka, Luna, Mabel, Nala, and Isla.
Since adopting the cocker spaniel, Orla has been a devoted friend to the couple’s children – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six – and was even included in their daughter’s birthday portraits in 2022 and 2023.
Elsewhere, Sarah Ferguson also took to social media to mark National Pet Day, sharing a slideshow of sweet pictures of her dogs.
The former wife of Prince Andrew inherited Queen Elizabeth II’s two remaining corgis, Sandy and Muick, following the death of the late monarch in 2022.
Captioning her post, Sarah wrote: ‘Happy International Pet Day to my seven sweet doggies! From their wagging tails and comforting cuddles, to the calming presence and loyal companionship they give every single day, life is simply brighter with these amazing furry friends by my side.’
In the first picture of the slide, the Duchess of York is pictured beaming while laying on the grass with the two corgis.
At the time she adopted the dogs, Sarah told People the corgis were: ‘national icons, so every time they run chasing a squirrel, I panic.
‘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.’
The Walses’s are thought to have welcomed the gorgeous pooch in 2020, in the same year that their former family dog, Lupo
The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a sweet tribute to their adorable dog on National Pet Day (the couple pictured with their previous dog, Lupo, who died in 2020)
Elsewhere, Sarah Ferguson also took to social media to mark National Pet Day, sharing a slideshow of sweet pictures of her dogs
In another one, Sarah is seen on a bicycle with an adorable ginger terrier perched in the basket
The Duchess of York shared a slide show of sweet pictures of her pet dogs
Sarah Ferguson owns several dog
In another one, Sarah is seen on a bicycle with an adorable ginger terrier perched in the basket.
It comes after Kate Middleton’s younger brother, James, jokingly revealed the rest he put Prince William through before ‘allowing him to join the family’.
The 37-year-old brother of the Princess of Wales made the comments in an interview with Hello! magazine.
As a famous lover of pooches, James was asked whether it was ‘prerequisite for Prince William to like dogs before he could join the Middleton family?’.
According to the outlet, James – who turns 38 next week – reportedly smiled before revealing his answer.
He suggested he was satisfied with the Prince’s appreciation for the animals, saying: ‘He had a long love of dogs. He had a very strong relationship with a black lab called Wigeon growing up, so he knew the powers of what dogs can do.’
During the interview, during which he invited the publication into his home, he spoke about how his small family has developed their own bonds with his beloved pet dogs.
He shared heartwarming details about his son, including the hilarious anecdote about how the tot spent the first year of his life thinking he was a dog.
James said the 18-month-old fell ‘in absolute love’ with his golden retriever, Isla, so much so that the tot at one point thought he was a dog and spent a year of his life on ‘all fours’.
In a video shared to YouTube, James recounted the ‘entertaining’ tale.
‘Well I think he spent the first year of his life thinking he was a dog – being on all fours’ said James.
‘It was quite entertaining to watch’. He then joked that Inigo’s first word could have been “woof!”
‘He absolutely loves the dogs’ he continued. ‘In particular Isla… she’s the youngest dog we have… he is just in absolute love with her’.
The doting father also spoke on how close the pup and tot were, and that Inigo can barely get his day started without setting his eyes on Isla.
