We're used to the Princess of Wales sharing insights about her children at engagements, but this time she's revealed details about a new canine companion. Kate spent 3rd February shining a light on Welsh textile manufacturers and was given an enthusiastic greeting by cocker spaniel Barney at Huit Denim.
The Princess shared a snap on social media and told the Huit Denim staff, "We have the same breed of dog". When asked about how old hers was, she's reported to have replied, "So we've got a little puppy, he's only eight months, and Orla's five".
Orla's already well-known as the Wales family's pet, but this is the first time we're getting confirmation that they've welcomed a new furry addition. Although Kate didn't specify, it's likely this eight-month-old puppy is one of Orla's litter.
She welcomed several puppies last summer and Prince William looked seriously besotted with them in the picture Kate took of him to mark his 43rd birthday. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they decided to keep one of Orla's babies in the family and the timings do fit given his age. Intriguingly, the Princess of Wales didn't mention the puppy's name.
They tend to prefer shorter monikers for their pets and before Orla they owned another male spaniel, Lupo. He and Orla were related and were understood to have both been bred by Kate's brother James Middleton.
Prince William and Kate would've had free reign naming Lupo but I can imagine Prince George, Charlotte and Louis eagerly giving their parents some ideas for the newest arrival. Who knows? Whilst it isn't for everyone, the Prince and Princess might even have let their kids have final say over what the puppy is called.
This would be the opposite of what's said to have happened before, with reports claiming that the couple laid out possible names for their firstborn on the floor and it was Lupo who picked 'George'. Even though the Princess didn’t reveal the puppy’s name during her time at Huit Denim, which is a family-owned company that hand-crafts jeans in Wales, it will likely be shared in time.
After all, Kate and William didn’t make a big thing of Orla’s name announcement. Instead, fans learnt what she was called through the caption of a post for Charlotte’s 7th birthday, when the spaniel appeared alongside the Princess in a picture.
Since then she’s been referenced in other social media posts, including one for National Pet Day, and appeared alongside the future King in an episode of Eugene Levy’s Apple TV+ show, The Reluctant Traveler. Orla excitedly greeted Eugene, rather like Barney did to Kate in Wales, and he was equally thrilled to see her.
He pulled out a dog treat for Orla, prompting the Prince to warn, "There's a chance she rejects them, so it's a fifty-fifty call". Fortunately, she loved the treat and William noted, "This is going down well. Look, you're getting the look, which is like, 'Please feed me.'"
Perhaps when he’s older, the new puppy will start to appear in small ways like Orla. National Pet Day is in April, as is Louis’s birthday, shortly followed by Charlotte’s in early May so there are plenty of opportunities for a debut appearance in a picture for the furry new family member.
