As King Charles begins his new responsibilities as Monarch, his pet dogs will be getting used to their new lives in Buckingham Palace. King Charles and his Queen Consort Camilla currently own two Jack Russells, Bluebell and Beth, who were both rescued by Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, where the former Duchess of Cornwall is Royal Patron.
It has been confirmed the Duke of York and his ex-wife have will take in the late Queen's corgis following her death on Thursday, September 8. A spokeswoman for Prince Andrew said he and Sarah, the Duchess of York will take on Muick and Sandy – two dogs the late monarch received as gifts from her son.
This could mean the regal corgi room could become a Jack Russell room as Bluebell and Beth make it their own, making them the first shelter dogs to live in Buckingham Palace, according to available records.
According to ex-employee of the royal family, Slingo Kaye, whose responsibilities included caring for the Queen's corgis, their room was as grand as any other in the Palace, with a dark wooden glossy door, polished floors and dog beds all over the place.
He said most of the corgis had "special dietary requirements" and would eat their meals out of a silver dog bowl with their name engraved on it.
He told PureWow: "We used to feed the dogs in the morning. The Queen would feed them herself at 3 in the afternoon."
Although King Charles did not share his mother's deep passion for corgis, he does have a soft spot for Jack Russells.
He has owned a number of them in his time, with one of his dogs, Tigga, becoming somewhat of a 'celebrity' in the 1990s, often being spotted in unofficial Christmas cards sitting alongside William and Harry.
To mark their 15th wedding anniversary in April 2020, King Charles and Camilla posed for a picture alongside their Jack Russells at Birkhall, their home on the Balmoral Estate.
Camilla was tempted to add another dog to their family when she visited Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in July. She joked about how she could smuggle an eight-week old Cavalier King Charles spaniel away in her handbag.
She spoke about how easy it is to visit the charity and leave with a pet, saying: "I've done it twice."
The 75-year-old animal lover also urged anyone looking for a pet to adopt a rescue dog or cat after a spike in abandoned animals following the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said: "There are, due to Covid, a lot of dogs and cats now at Battersea that need a home so if I could appeal to everybody listening, all of your friends, that if they want a dog or a cat, go along to Battersea and find a friend for life."
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