Royal watchers have been eagerly awaiting the official reveal of Prince William and Princess Kate's new puppy, and on May 1, they finally got their wish. The Prince and Princess of Wales gave a small glimpse of the dog in their 15th anniversary photo on April 29, but they surprised fans with a portrait of their brown cocker spaniel on social media Friday, sharing his name is Otto.
"Welcome to the family, Otto! 1 today 🥳 🎂" the Instagram post read. In the photo, the dog's fur blows in the breeze as he sits in a field of flowers with a towering hill visible in the distance.
Otto was born to the Wales family's dog, Orla, last May and made his first appearance in Prince William's birthday photo just about a month later. Princess Kate's brother, James, breeds dogs and gave Orla to William and Kate shortly before their first dog, Lupo, died in 2020.
As for the meaning of Otto, it's a name rich in history. According to Baby Center, it's "a classic German name meaning 'prosperous' or 'wealthy'" tracing back to Old High German, "where it was often associated with fortune and nobility."
Otto also has something in common with Princess Kate's former assistant and stylist, Natasha Archer, who left the royal household last summer. Natasha and her former husband, Chris Jackson, have a son named Otto, and she weighed in on the Wales family's post on Instagram writing, "Great name 🤎😝🤎."
Otto was born before Natasha left her job, so perhaps his name was a tribute to Kate's trusted staff member. But the dog also has a connection to Pippa Middleton's brother-in-law, Spencer Matthews, as one of his children with wife Vogue Matthews is also called Otto.
Now that he's made his public debut, here's hoping Otto will join George or Charlotte in their upcoming birthday photos like Orla, who posed with Charlotte in 2023.
