Besides being a devoted mother to her two sons, Princess Diana was known to be an animal lover.
Her butler has revealed Diana was planning to adopt a golden labrador shortly before her untimely death in 1997.
Speaking on Instagram, butler Paul Burell said: “In her childhood, the Princess had many pets, and she longed to have a dog.
"In the last summer of her life, we had made plans for her to buy a golden labrador, but that was not to be.”
Lady Diana’s interest in animals began at her family’s Althorp estate in Northamptonshire, where she welcomed a guinea pig, called Peanuts, into her life.
Not wanting to leave Peanuts alone when she moved to boarding school, she managed to move him into Riddlesworth Hall with her.
Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.
Despite owning a cat, rabbits and other small animals as a child, Diana always longed for her own dog.
Before marrying Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, Diana spent time with his yellow labrador, Harvey.
However, the labrador is said to have sparked arguments between the couple, with royal biographer Penny Junor claiming Charles ended up rehoming Harvey in an attempt to “appease the desperately unhappy Diana”.
Seconding this claim, royal author Sally Bedell Smith believes the dog was given up because it reminded Diana of Charles' previous life.
Harvey ended up living out the rest of his life with one of Charles’ advisers.
In 1986, when Prince William was four-years-old and Prince Harry was aged two, the family enjoyed the company of a Jack Russell, who was pictured with the family at Kensington Palace.
Charles and Diana separated in 1992 and divorced four years later, leaving her once again without a dog, whereas Charles went on to own a number of Jack Russells.
One of his dogs, Tigga, became somewhat of a ‘celebrity’ in the 1990s, often being spotted in unofficial Christmas cards sitting alongside William and Harry.
Charles, who married Camilla in April 2005, currently owns two Jack Russells, Bluebell and Beth. The couple posed for a picture alongside their pets to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary in April 2020.
Do you have a dog story to sell? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
