As the youngest sibling - and the last to become a parent - James Middleton recently shared how he’s always happy to go to his big sisters - including the Princess of Wales - for parenting advice. But he repays them when it comes to his area of expertise - dogs.
A lover of dogs and an ambassador for the Dogs Trust, James recently shared his thoughts on why he thinks the Royal Family have famously been such dog lovers over the years - and his theory is both sweet and totally understandable.
After living such an irregular life, James thinks the fact that an animal won’t care about status is perhaps a grounding and welcome change for them.
As he said, "Dogs don’t care who you are. A dog looks at the King or Queen the same way that my dogs look at me."
During his interview with HELLO!, he added, "I think, in everyone’s life, they are the best secret-keepers. I don’t think dogs can tell a lie, because I always know which dog it is that’s maybe raided the bin, but they can’t tell your secrets."
In that context, it’s easy to picture the likes of the late Queen Elizabeth loving the bond with her numerous dogs over the years - she famously had at least 30 Corgis throughout her life, as well as other breeds.
After all, some of her earlier dogs knew her before she unexpectedly became queen at the tender age of 25 years old. To them, she was still the same person - despite how much her life had changed.
As well as the late Queen Elizabeth’s love for her dogs (and horses, amongst other animals), King Charles and Queen Camilla have shared their love for their four-legged companions.
Queen Camilla adopted two dogs, Beth and Bluebell, from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. The Jack Russell terriers were so beloved to Queen Camilla that she immortalised them in what was one of the biggest moments of her life - the Coronation.
Two golden dogs were embroidered on either side of the bottom of her Bruce Oldfield dress, with the motifs believed to be a sweet nod to her pups. Beth sadly died in 2024, one year after the Coronation.
Likewise, Prince William and Princess Catherine’s love of dogs is well-known, with their controversial sleeping habit of allowing the dogs in bed with them previously revealed.
The Wales’s dogs have included Lupo and Orla - both cocker spaniels who were bred from James Middleton’s dog, Ella.
In his book, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, James wrote how he asked William and Catherine if they would like one of Ella’s puppies "as a belated wedding present."
"All you have to do is choose your favourite," he recalled saying to the couple in the book. "There in the box nestled the glossy black pups. Catherine and William bent down to stroke their tiny muzzles".
When Lupo passed away in 2020, William and Catherine called him "the heart" of their house, posting a tribute which read, "Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much. - W & C."
