The royal pets: meet the animals who live in a palace

Meet the animal companions of the royal family

The British Royal Family have been known as animal lovers for generations. Queen Elizabeth II held a particularly deep affection for all living creatures, a passion that spanned her entire life. The corgis were not just pets; they were part of the family and she was deeply involved in their lives, overseeing their breeding and care personally. Throughout the years, members of the wider royal clan have owned a huge variety of pets from ponies and puppies to a tortoise and even chameleon.

Read on to meet the furry, feathered - and even scaly - royal pets loved by the British rulers...

A woman and her dogs

The late Queen owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis (a cross between a dachshund and a Welsh corgi) during her lifetime, and they were an iconic part of her reign. Her Majesty fell in love with the breed, which is known for its spirited and affectionate nature, once saying: "My Corgis are family." Her dogs would roam freely around the royal residences, including Balmoral and Buckingham Palace, and frequently accompanied her on travels. They remained by her side until the very end of her life, providing great comfort to her after her husband Prince Phillip passed away in April 2021. The 96-year-old monarch left behind two corgis, Sandy and Muick, and a cocker spaniel, named Lissy, when she passed away on 8 September 2022.

The Queen’s first corgis

The first corgis, Dookie and Jane, joined the royal family in 1933, when the Duke of York, later King George Vl, acquired two for his daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Here they are in front of miniature cottage Y Bwthyn Bach (the Welsh House) in the grounds of Royal Lodge, Windsor, England.

Dookie, originally named Rozavel Golden Eagle, went away to be trained and staff, aware his owner was the Duke of York, called him 'Dookie' for short. The name stuck when he returned home as it was all he would respond to!

More than just corgis...

Corgis were not the only breed to live alongside the royal family during their carefree childhood days at Royal Lodge.

The Duke and Duchess of York also had retrievers, spaniels, a labrador called Mimsy and a shih tzu called Choo Choo, seen here. But the Pembroke corgi sparked a fascination for the breed in the young princess, which lasted her entire life.

The Queen and her chameleon

But a tortoise is not the most unusual pet the royals have owned. That prize goes to a lizard. A young Princess Elizabeth, seen here with her sister Princess Margaret in 1941, was not adverse to playing with creatures of a more exotic variety.

Lord Louis Mountbatten gave the girls a large chameleon, which Elizabeth, then aged 15, kept in a box lined with a page from Debrett’s, a British authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769. When the lizard died, she insisted on having a small white coffin made for him. “We must bury him in a proper state,” she said, as reported in American magazine Vanity Fair.

A treasure trove of archive photos

It is thanks to the Queen’s father King George VI that there are so many photographs of the Princess and her pets.

A keen amateur photographer, the King took many charming photographs of his family, here in the gardens of Royal Lodge, playing with the family’s dogs, and ensured a carefree childhood that would prepare the Princess so well for her life ahead as Queen.

Susan the corgi, matriarch of a dynasty

The Queen's most treasured corgi of all was Susan, who was gifted to the Princess on her 18th birthday in 1944. Susan remained by Elizabeth's side for 15 years, supporting her through the challenges of World War II and her difficult coronation in 1953, which was overshadowed by the passing of her father the previous year. The young Elizabeth loved Susan so much that she bred her to keep a part of her legacy alive through her puppies.

Caroline Perry, the author of the children's book The Corgi and the Queen told Insider that the little dog was "feisty" and "a little bit wild", despite her sweet nature. Susan reportedly bit the palace clock winder, Leonard Hubbard, in 1954 but was fiercely defended by the young monarch.

Canine capers

Princess Elizabeth was so attached to Susan that she even insisted on taking her along on honeymoon with Prince Philip in 1947, hiding the dog under a pile of blankets in their carriage to the station directly after the wedding.

They are photographed here at Broadlands in England, the home of the Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma, where they spent the first three days of their honeymoon.

An Olympic starring role

Several of her dogs, Monty, Willow and Holly, made their TV debut alongside Her Majesty and Daniel Craig in a James Bond sketch in 2012 for the Olympic opening ceremony.

Holly died in 2016 while Willow, the last of the corgis descended from Susan, died in 2018 leaving the Queen devastated. Her dogs even inspired an animated movie called The Queen's Corgi, which stars Jack Whitehall and Dame Julie Walters as voice actors.

The royal pet cemetery

Such was her affection for her animals, the late monarch ensured they were given a dignified burial that would befit their significance in her life. These gravestones for corgis Susan, Sugar, and Heather, are located on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England.

Another much-loved corgi, Whisper, is also buried here. She had adopted him following the death of his owner, Bill Fenwick, who was gamekeeper on the estate.

Sandy and Muick get adopted

The Queen entrusted two of her dogs to son Andrew and his wife Sarah before she passed and the royal exes have been sharing custody of these furry new housemates ever since, according to British newspaper the Daily Mail. Muick, named after the Queen's favourite place, Loch Muick in Balmoral, Scotland, a gift from Prince Andrew, and Sandy, a present from Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie on her official 95th birthday, survived her.

Lissy the cocker spaniel, who has the impressive pedigree name Wolferton Drama, is living with her trainer, Ian Openshaw according to American radio station WBUR.

A happy new home

Fans of the Queen’s corgis were reassured to know that they are still “thriving" according to an Instagram post from Sarah Ferguson commemorating the anniversary of the Queen’s death.

Prince Andrew took the pooches to live with him and Sarah in the Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, England. It'll be a busy home for them all as he already had five Norfolk terriers when he took on the additional two according to British newspaper The Mirror. We're sure the dogs have staff though...

King Charles' canine companions

King Charles III definitely inherited his mother’s love of dogs. The King and Queen Consort placed their two Jack Russell terriers, Beth and Bluebell, at the centre of their official photograph to mark their 15th wedding anniversary in April 2020.

Queen Camilla adopted the two dogs from the famous London animal shelter Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, of which she is patron. The King is a long-time fan of the breed, owning two other Jack Russells, Pooh and Tigga, in the 1990s.

Harvey the labrador

Through the years, Prince Charles was often photographed with his labrador Harvey, who was on hand for his first official photocall with Lady Diana Spencer at Craigowan Lodge, Balmoral, Scotland in May 1981, following the announcement of their engagement.

According to royal biographer Penny Junor, Prince Charles eventually had to rehouse the dog “to appease the desperately unhappy Diana” because she thought he was smelly.

Family friend Tigga

King Charles III also made sure there were plenty of animals running around when Princes William and Harry were growing up.

One of their most beloved family pets was the King's Jack Russell Tigga, who was a gift from Lady Salisbury as a puppy and died aged 18 in 2002. “He is very upset as Tigga was a companion for a very long time," a spokesman said at the time.

Smokey the Shetland pony

Like most members of the royal family, Prince William was encouraged to start riding almost as soon as he could walk. Here he is with his Shetland pony Smokey, the royal family’s choice of breed for a child’s debut in the saddle, at Highgrove House in 1986. He shared the small horse with his brother Harry.

The Prince of Wales has also encouraged his own children to ride and borrowed his cousin Zara Tindall’s Shetland pony when Prince George was four.

Prince William and Widgeon

The young princes William and Harry are pictured on their summer holiday in Balmoral, Scotland with their father King Charles, along with the family Jack Russell Tigga and Prince William’s black labrador Widgeon, which was gifted to him by his mother and lived until 2010. Poignantly, this photograph was taken just a couple of weeks prior to the death of Princess Diana in Paris in 1997.

It is said the Prince still keeps a photo of his beloved dog on his desk in Kensington Palace.

William and Kate’s first dog Lupo

The Prince and Princess of Wales have their own set of well-loved family pets too. Lupo the English cocker spaniel had been a wedding gift to the pair from Kate’s parents and was often seen at family get-togethers. At the heart of their family life for nine years, Lupo sadly died in November 2020. “We will miss him so much,” the couple said on their Instagram post.

Here, Lupo is at a charity polo match in Tetbury in June 2012. He also featured in the couple's first official photograph with Prince George, which was taken by the Princess's father.

Happier times with Orla

William and Kate released three new photographs of their daughter with their new cocker spaniel Orla to celebrate Princess Charlotte’s seventh birthday on 2 May 2022, seen here, and another the following year.

Orla, whose name is derived from the Irish spelling, Órlaith, meaning 'golden princess', came to live with the family shortly before Lupo passed away and is a well-established member of the family.

The Middleton Brood

Orla was raised by Kate’s brother James Middleton, who announced his dog Luna, Lupo’s sister, had given birth to “six healthy little pups” in the spring of 2020, seen here with his wife Alizée, on their Instagram.

"I am sad to see you go, and yes I might cry but it will be with happiness as each of your new homes are bursting with love," James wrote to the puppies.

Prince William's guinea pigs

Of course, Orla isn’t the only much-loved pet in the household. Prince William revealed the family had a number of guinea pigs on a visit to Woodgate Valley Urban Farm in Birmingham, England in April 2024 as reported by British magazine Tatler.

“I spend my life cleaning out the guinea pig cage because the children forget to do it,” he told a young girl at the facility as she was grooming the small animals. He added that the family had chickens too, who liked to eat dried fruit.

Prince Harry's pets

This adorable family shot shows Charles and Diana encouraging their youngest son Prince Harry to stroke their pet rabbit gently at the family’s country home Highgrove in Gloucestershire, England in 1986.

A video of the touching scene was unearthed in 2021 and went viral on TikTok. As soon as Harry starts stroking the bunny, a pang of sibling rivalry can be heard as his brother William implores: “Can I hold him? Can I?”

Prince Harry’s first time on a pony

Prince Harry shared Smokey the Shetland pony with his brother Prince William. He looks slightly unsure here in this photograph taken at Highgrove House in 1986 but has since proved a formidable rider and a keen polo player.

Probably one of the most high-profile polo players in the world, he will be seen in the saddle for a new polo-related project with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for Netflix, which was announced in Spring 2024 as reported by American news outlet, The New York Times.

Meghan’s rescue boys

A passionate animal lover, Harry's wife Meghan often posted pictures of her 'boys': rescue beagle Guy and labrador-shepherd mix Bogart, before she became engaged to the prince.

She revealed it was Ellen DeGeneres who convinced her to adopt Bogart, when she bumped into her at an animal shelter. According to UK newspaper The Mirror, Bogart didn't take to Harry and Meghan was sadly forced to leave him behind with a friend in Vancouver, Canada when she moved to London in 2017.

A walk-on role for Guy and Pula

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now have three dogs, Meghan’s rescue beagle Guy, a black labrador they adopted and named Pula, and another rescue beagle named Mamma Mia. The pula is the official currency of Botswana, the African country where Harry and Meghan enjoyed their first holiday together after they began dating in 2016.

Pula and Guy made an impromptu appearance in Meghan’s interview with activist Gloria Steinem during an interview at the couple’s home in Montecito.

Princess Anne’s bull terriers

Having competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the equestrian three-day event on her mother’s horse Goodwill, Princess Anne is more often associated with horses.

However, the late Queen's daughter has kept English bull terriers for decades. This breed is very on-brand for the famously outdoorsy, no-frills royal, who has been spotted driving with her dogs poking their heads out the window.

Zara and Mike Tindall’s movie hero dogs

Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Phillips, silver medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, and rugby player husband Mike are also dog fans.

The couple has three dogs, all named after film characters. Here’s one of their three children, daughter Mia in 2017 at the Gatcombe Horse Trials with their boxer Sway, named after Angelina Jolie’s Gone in 60 seconds character.

They also have two labradors called Pepper and Storm after characters in Iron Man and X-Men.

Prince Edward and his tortoise

Prince Edward posed with his black labrador Frances for this photo in the grounds of Buckingham Palace to mark his 18th birthday.

The Earl of Wessex, his wife Sophie and their two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, have two dogs at their home Bagshot Park, Surrey, England along with a tortoise, who according to the Earl, “basically runs the house!” according to British magazine Hello!.

A royal cat lover

While there is an abundance of pet dogs in the Royal Family, there only appears to be one proud owner of cats: Princess Michael of Kent, pictured here in 1984 outside her former home Nether Lypiatt Manor, England.

She has, over the years, owned a variety of Siamese and Burmese felines. She was even photographed on her 70th birthday in January 2015 holding her Siamese wearing a diamond and pearl tiara.

Pet project

Of course, every self-respecting pet enjoys the good things in life just as much as their owners. With this is mind the folks at the Buckingham Palace Shop and ultimately the King, joined forces with illustrator Rory Hutton, to produce an adorable range of accessories fit for animal royalty.

The range includes bow ties, bandanas, and even this striking pink bone with matching cushion. Elsewhere in the collection you can find china bowls with 22-carat gold edging and a crown motif as shared by British newspaper The Sun.