11 royals and their beloved pet dogs in photos

They're in good canine company

20 Feb 2023, 10:15 GMT

The royals are known for their love of dogs, starting with the late Queen Elizabeth II, who owned more than 30 corgis during her reign.

It's a passion she shared with many other members of her family, including her grandsons and their wives – the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

WATCH: The royal family's pet dogs

In honour of National Love Your Pet Day on 20 February, HELLO! takes a look at the four-legged friends the British royals and their European counterparts share their homes with.

Queen Elizabeth II

Her late Majesty's corgis kept the monarch in good, canine company for decades. She was given her first corgi Susan when she was 18, and even took the beloved pet on her honeymoon with Prince Philip.

The mother-of-four was never far from her dogs, who she famously called her "family" in the past. The pampered pooches travelled with her on tour, and were given pride of place in one of her official 90th birthday portraits.

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The late Queen was gifted two corgi puppies, Sandy and Muick, by her son, Prince Andrew, during lockdown. Since her death in September 2022, the pups have gone to live with Andrew and his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, at Royal Lodge in Windsor. They were pictured with the Duke of York in the courtyard of Windsor Castle on the day of the monarch's funeral.

The Prince and Princess of Wales

Prince and Princess of Wales with dog Orla

The Waleses are known to be dog lovers and previously owned an English Cocker Spaniel named Lupo. The sweet dog sadly died in November 2020, with William and Kate announcing the news on social media.

Sharing a picture of their pet, they wrote: "Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much. - W & C."

In 2020, Kate's brother James Middleton gifted the family another spaniel, an eight-month-old pup, whose name Orla was finally revealed in May 2022 when she featured in the official photo to mark Princess Charlotte's seventh birthday.

The Princess also brought Orla along to watch Prince William play in a charity polo match last July.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

When Meghan Markle relocated to the UK in 2017 after her engagement to Prince Harry, she was only able to bring one of her rescue dogs – a beagle named Guy with her, after her other dog Bogart was too old to make the transatlantic journey.

The Duchess has since adopted another dog with Prince Harry, a black Labrador, whose name Pula was finally revealed in royal biography Finding Freedom. The two pups were spotted in the background when Meghan took part in a Q&A with Gloria Steinem.

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And in 2022, the couple adopted a seven-year-old Beagle named Mamma Mia from the Beagle Freedom Project, an organisation that rescues and rehomes animals used in experimental research. The sweet pup was reportedly rescued along with 4,000 other Beagles by federal authorities in Virginia last month.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex

The Wessex family - Prince Edward, wife Sophie and their children Lady Louise and James - are the proud owners of two dogs and a tortoise.

Sophie has been pictured walking her dogs, a black Labrador and a cocker spaniel, around the Windsor estate before, including over the Easter break in 2019 when the Wessexes joined Her Majesty for the holiday.

In June 2020, when asked about his family's pets, Edward also joked in a video call with his patronage The Orpheus Centre: "We have two dogs and we've also got a tortoise, who basically rules the house!"

Mike and Zara Tindall

Mike Tindall and his eldest daughter Mia were seen walking their pet dogs as they supported Zara at the Gatcombe Horse Trials in March – a boxer dog named Sway, and two black Labradors called Storm and Pepper.

Zara previously revealed that all three were named after female characters in adventure films – Storm in X-Men (played by Halle Berry), Sway in Gone in 60 Seconds (portrayed by Angelina Jolie), and Gwyneth Paltrow’s character Pepper Potts in the Iron Man movies.

Queen Consort Camilla

Camilla adopted her pooches, Jack Russell Terriers Beth and Bluebell, from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

They've accompanied Camilla on a few royal outings over the years, including a recent trip to Wiltshire. Beth helped the royal to officially open a new facility at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Old Windsor Centre in December 2020, using a sausage to unveil the plaque.

And in April 2020, Beth and Bluebell stole the show in a new portrait of Charles and Camilla as they marked their 15th wedding anniversary.

Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark

The Danish royals revealed they had welcomed "two new residents" to their family in December 2021 – a gorgeous pair of puppies – and they couldn't be cuter!

The pups' mother is their border collie, Grace, who joined the family in 2017.

The palace also shared some sweet images of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine with the puppies to mark their 11th birthday in January 2022.

King-Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima revealed in October 2021 that they had welcomed an adorable new addition to their family. The royals shared a photo of the tiny pup wearing a pink collar on their social media accounts at the time, writing: "Today is Animal Day! Meet Mambo, the newest member of the Royal Family!"

The couple and their daughters, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia, and Princess Ariane are already the proud owners of three Labradors called Luna, Skipper and Nala.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

The Norwegian royals have always been proud dog owners and welcomed a new addition to the family in 2021 in the form of a brown puppy called Molly Fiskebolle.

They mourned the loss of their beloved labradoodle, Muffins, in 2022, but still own Muffins' mother, Milly.

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden

The future queen introduced their cavoodle, Rio, on Instagram in May 2020. And since then, the pooch has got involved with family photoshotos and royal engagements.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Big or small, the Danish royals are a fan of all types of dogs. Queen Margrethe has had a number of canine pets over the years, and as important members of the family, the dogs are often included in official portraits. That is, if they aren't wreaking havoc, running around the palace grounds or being chased by the youngest royals!

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