Prince William, Kate Middleton. "Everyone is very excited," a source told 'The Sun' of the family's expansion
Prince William and Kate Middleton are expanding their family!
The couple’s beloved dog, Orla, welcomed a set of puppies recently, according to The Sun.
“Mother and babies are doing well,” a source told the outlet of the black cocker spaniel and her babies.
Buckingham Palace has not confirmed news of the family’s addition.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their three children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — are loving the pups so far and hope to keep them, the insider added.
“Everyone loves a new royal baby news and so new royal puppies run very close,” they said.
The family was gifted Orla in 2020, after James Middleton’s dog Luna welcomed “six little healthy pups.” Kate’s younger brother shared the exciting news on Instagram at the time, letting supporters know “they all have lovely homes waiting for them.”
Two years later, it was revealed in Princess Charlotte’s 7th birthday portraits that the family named their dog Orla.
The name is especially perfect for a royal pup — Orla is a Celtic name meaning “golden princess.”
Orla joined the family shortly before Kate and Prince William’s dog Lupo died in November 2020. Lupo was also a black cocker spaniel they received from James as a “belated wedding present” in 2011, he wrote in his memoir Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life.
Years later, it was revealed that the royal couple received Lupo at a difficult time when William was about to head to the Falkland Islands for a six-week-long deployment.
On April 11, Prince William and Kate shared a rare image of Orla to celebrate National Pet Day.
They marked the occasion with a never-before-seen Instagram photo of Orla staring into the distance in a grassy area with trees, her shiny coat seemingly wet from an adventure.
https://www.instagram.com/princeandprincessofwales/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b6e8c02e-b278-4ab6-9596-f9d56466f71c&ig_mid=CC910BC1-E093-430C-BFEC-86B52B92C285
“Celebrating the animals who bring so much joy, companionship and love to our lives this #NationalPetDay,” the Prince and Princess of Wales’ team wrote on their official social media accounts on April 11, adding a paw print emoji.
“Beautiful in every way,” James proudly wrote in the comment section.
Since finding her forever home in Buckingham Palace, Orla has tagged along to several family events, from joining Kate to watch Prince William play in the Royal Charity Polo Cup in July 2022 and making a cameo in Princess Charlotte’s 8th birthday portraits.
