Queen Camilla visited Battersea Dogs & Cats Home on Monday to officially open a new sensory garden designed to enrich the lives of rescue dogs awaiting adoption.
Her Majesty was greeted by a guard of honour of rescue dogs as she arrived at the charity’s London centre in Nine Elms, where she made a particular fuss of Dipsy, a Jack Russell cross. Crouching to pet him, she smiled and said, “I’d have taken him.”
The Queen, who is Patron of Battersea, was there to unveil the permanent RHS and BBC Radio 2 “Dog Garden”, designed by gardener and broadcaster Monty Don. The Queen first saw the garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show earlier this year and has been involved in supporting it from the very beginning.
Monty Don, who attended the event, said: “It’s so important to give dogs a space where they can be free to run around and smell and sniff things as they prepare for their new lives ahead.”
The garden, now installed at 4 Battersea Park Road, is intended to provide a calming and stimulating environment that supports the wellbeing of dogs while they wait to be rehomed.
Following her tour of the garden, the Queen attended a reception with Battersea staff, volunteers, and ambassadors. Among them was broadcaster and actress Amanda Holden, who has been an ambassador for the charity for 11 years. She has one Battersea rescue dog, Mini, along with another dog and a cat.
Holden shared a light-hearted moment about Mini’s bond with her husband, Chris.
“Mini rolls over onto her back for a belly rub every time she sees him,” she said. “My husband just looked at her and said, ‘Why can’t you be more like that?’”
Queen Camilla has adopted three rescue dogs from Battersea herself. Most recently, in February 2025, she welcomed Moley, a puppy born on Boxing Day 2024, into her home.
Beth, adopted from Battersea in 2011, died in 2024. Her companion Bluebell, adopted in 2012, remains part of the royal household and was seen with the Queen during the French state visit at Windsor in July.
Founded in 1860, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has rehomed more than three million animals. The Queen’s visit highlights her enduring commitment to the charity and to animal welfare more broadly.
