Few celebrities in this world attract more attention than the British Royal Family. At 1,200 years old, the British monarchy is one of the oldest and most storied human institutions around. People want to know all the things about them, and today we’ve learned something new about Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s sleeping arrangements. Although, it’s not quite as salacious as you might think.
It turns out, royalty is a lot like us plebeians. How? Well, they sleep with their dogs on the bed! Turns out the Prince of Wales doesn’t just sleep with one female, he sleeps with two. That’s right, the royal canine Orla shares the bed with her famous parents.
Prince Williams was visiting Duchy College Stoke Climsland in Callington, Cornwall recently, and because everything he says or does becomes tabloid fodder, the revelation reverberated throughout the countryside faster than a speedy dog running a course at Westminster.
The prince chatted it up at the event with a woman named Louise Harland, who has a dog named Jacks. Jacks and Orla got to playing together, and William made the bedroom revelation candidly. Because just speaking to the prince kind of makes you an instant celebrity for the day, Harland made an appearance on Radio Cornwall to dish about it all.
“[He was] absolutely in love with my little dog. He asked what breed he was and he’s never met one of those breeds – he’s a Cockerjack – so he’s a little bit of a unique combination.”
William complemented Jacks and said his ears were really “soft” and then “gave him lots of loving.” Very relatable! Orla has a cute little origin story, by the way. She was a gift from Middleton’s brother James, who owns a dog food lifestyle company called Ella & Co. There’s a bit of a sentimental story behind that; Ella was a therapy dog who passed away. Orla is actually one of her puppies.
“I’m really pleased that they are able to enjoy and have the benefit of a dog in their lives,” James said in an interview. “I see them being lucky that they have a dog in their life.”
We got to get a closer look at the royal family with Orla when the Princess of Wales made a video about recovering from cancer and completing chemotherapy.
Orla also makes an appearance in daughter Princess Charlotte’s seventh birthday portrait. Even the name Orla is royal: it means “golden princess.” Orla is not the family’s first dog, unfortunately. They previously had a spritely cocker spaniel named Lupo, who lived to be nine years old and passed in November of 2020. One source said Orla was originally meant to “give Lupo some company and give him a little more life and energy.”
Both Lupo and Orla are and were black-colored cocker spaniels. The family actually didn’t reveal they got a new dog until January of 2021, even though they got the dog from James much earlier. Orla quickly became a popular member of the royal brood, with voracious royal watchers treating her with the same amount of attention given to the family’s children. We’ll surely be hearing more about her in the future.
