Every dog parent knows that training a puppy takes hard work, consistency and a whole lot of patience. And even then – when you feel like you’ve done everything by the book – they can still cheekily try and get up to their old tricks. The Prince and Princess of Wales may be royalty, but to their two dogs, they’re just owners like anyone else – and it seems the duo aren’t keen on always doing exactly what they’re told.
Prince William, Kate and their three children; Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis now have two dogs, both cocker spaniels; Orla (5) and Otto (1). On a visit earlier this month, Prince William revealed some of the trickier aspects to life with two dogs, especially a new puppy. While greeting members of the public who’d gathered to meet him in Cornwall, Prince William had his attention pulled by a black and white dog.
‘Hello, you’re very sweet,’ he said, giving the dog a stroke. He told the owner and her son that he had two dogs himself. ‘I love dogs, ours are Orla and Otto, very similar.’ He then asked the boy, ‘Is he behaving in the house? Is he chewing everything?’ The group laughed before Prince William admitted that this was an issue he faced with his own pups, and what they liked to eat most: ‘Ours chew slippers. Anything left on the floor is gone.’
The couple’s oldest dog, Orla, is a black cocker spaniel, and she was a gift from Kate’s brother, James Middleton. Earlier this year, Kate revealed the family had taken on a puppy, although they didn’t publicly announce the new addition. Back in February, the Princess of Wales was on a visit to a mill (Hiut Denim) in Cardigan, Wales, when she got chatting to the owners about their resident pooch, Barney (in post above). When Kate saw Barney cautiously making his way towards her, she commented, ‘He said, “There’s too many people!” If he’s anything like our spaniel, he’ll run outside.’
She was then asked about the ages of her own dogs and revealed, ‘we’ve got a little puppy, he’s only eight months, and Orla’s five,’ according to The Independent. Before then, we only knew about the couple’s dog, Orla and, at this point, no name was revealed. Then, to mark his first birthday, the couple shared a portrait of a glossy, reddish-brown spaniel to Instagram with the caption, ‘Welcome to the family, Otto! 1 today’. Both Otto and Orla also featured in a special video created for Princess Charlotte’s 11th birthday, showing her stroking the two dogs and cuddling up to them.
The Royal Family have a long history with dogs, most notably the late Queen Elizabeth II’s iconic brood of Corgis. Now, Queen Camilla also has her own dogs, choosing to adopt from Battersea Cats and Dogs Home.
