Speaking at the Royal Variety Performance over the weekend, King Charles casually revealed that the royal family might be welcoming a new four-legged fur ball into the family.
The news comes just days after Queen Camilla announced the passing of her beloved Jack Russell, Beth. The Queen’s pet passed away at the age of 13 last week with the announcement being made via the royal family’s official Instagram account on Monday. The post featured a carousel of photos and videos showing Beth on countryside walks and alongside her sister, Bluebell, another Jack Russell.
It’s clear that Camilla cared deeply for her pet as shown by the numerous happy photos shared to Instagram. Beth was rescued by Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2011 after being found roaming a local park. That same year Camilla, who is a patron of the animal shelter adopted the pup and she’s been a part of the family ever since.
It seems despite having a rough start, Beth was able to live a long and happy life as a pet to one of the richest and most powerful families in the world. Sadly, the elderly Jack Russell was diagnosed with an incurable tumor and the decision was made to have her put to sleep. Camilla was reportedly distraught when making the difficult choice.
King Charles is hoping to bring a new dog into the family
The Royal Variety Performance is an annual televised charity event which typically sees members of the royal family in attendance. Camilla was unable to attend this year due to a chest infection which she’s had for two weeks, leaving husband Charles to go solo. The evening’s hosts, Alan Carr and Amanda Holden, gave their condolences to Charles and Camilla with the King telling them, ‘we’re going to get a new one, Merry Christmas.’
Merry Christmas indeed. Adopting a pet for Christmas is usually frowned upon due to the uptick in dogs and cats being left at shelters after the holiday period. However, the royal family is known for having a strong love for canines. Queen Elizabeth II was known for loving Corgis, in fact, she owned 30 Corgis in total over the course of her 70 year reign.
The royal family generally seem like pretty good dog parents, unless you count Meghan Markle who notoriously left her dog behind when she moved across the pond. There has seldom been a time when the King and Queen did not have an entourage of four-legged companions following them around.
Royal Variety host Amanda Holden is also an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and asked Charles to adopt from the animal shelter again. No doubt as soon as Camilla is feeling better that’s the first place they’ll be visiting.