After four decades, a letter King Charles wrote to a member of the royal household has been sold at auction, and in the never-before-seen note, he mourned the death of his old dog, Harvey. Although the yellow Labrador retriever was a fond companion of the then-Prince Charles, Princess Diana reportedly talked him into giving the dog away to a member of their staff.
The letter sold for £656 by London-based Chiswick Auctions, according to the Telegraph, and was sent to Lt Col Phillip Creasy, comptroller to Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the time. Creasy, who adopted Harvey from Charles, had to put the dog to sleep in 1987 and wrote to him to share the news.
“You were absolutely right to take the decision you did, although it is always a desperate one to have to take,” The King responded in his letter.
King Charles continued, “I am so pleased you all loved him so much. He was a splendid character and when we were both a bit younger, he made me laugh so much by his dotty antics.”
“As you say, he was a loyal old friend and I cannot thank you and your wife enough for your great kindness in agreeing to look after him and for giving him such a happy retirement away from those damp kennels,” Charles added.
Per the Telegraph, author Penny Junor wrote in The Firm that Princess Diana was the reason for Harvey’s departure. “He even gave away his faithful old Labrador Harvey because Diana thought he was smelly,” Junor wrote in the book.
Giving a dog away is quite possibly the last thing Queen Camilla would suggest, as the King and Queen share a huge passion for animals. Together, the couple own two rescue dogs, Bluebell and Moley, along with The King's Italian truffle hunting dog, Snuff, who is a Lagotto Romagnolo.
