The Cambridges may have a new member. Prince William and Kate Middleton sparked speculation that they got a new dog after the Princess of Wales shared. video for the U.K.’s Mothering Sunday on March 30 that showed not one but two pups.
The video—which replaced Kate’s usual photo of herself and kids Prince George, Princess charlotte and Prince Louis following the princess’ photo controversy in 2024—featured a montage of clips of the royal in nature. Amidst clips of blooming flowers, ocean waves, and tree trunks, however, eagle-eyed well-wishers also noticed two dogs walking behind a man presumed to be William in the video.
“Over the past year, nature has been our sanctuary,” Kate captioned the video. “This Mother’s Day, let us celebrate Mother Nature and recognize how our bond with the natural world can help not only nurture our inner selves, but remind us too of the role we play within the rich tapestry of life.”
William, Kate, and their children currently share a black cocker spaniel named Orla. But who was the second brown dog? As of writing, there’s unofficial statement from Buckingham Palace confirming that William and Kate took in another dog. It is possible, however, that the pup belongs to another member of the family, such as Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, who were there when the video was filmed.
The dog could also belong to Kate’s brother, James Middleton, who owns a brown dog named Nala that resembles the pup in the video. Nala is one of six dogs James owns. Orla, for her part,was also bred by James before she was adopted by William and Kate in 2020 just before the death of their cocker spaniel, Lupo.
“They were devastated when Lupo passed away,” a source close to the couple told The Mail on Sunday at the time. “It was hoped that a younger dog would give Lupo some company and give him a little more life and energy.”
The Daily Mail, for its part, confirmed that the brown dog was one of James. So that seems to have solved the mystery. It also doesn’t look like William and Kate will be adding any children to their family anytime soon.
In an interview with Fox News in March 2025, Tom Quinn, the author of Yes Ma’am: Upstairs Downstairs in the British Royal Family
, joked that William and Kate weren’t planning on having another baby soon because the Princess of Wales views her husband as her “fourth” child.
“And so, there’s a joke among the staff that Kate treats William as the fourth because he occasionally behaves like one,” Quinn said. An anonymous royal staff member also confirmed to Quinn’s claim in his book.
Yes Ma’am: Upstairs Downstairs in the British Royal Family by Tom Quinn
“She hasn’t had everything done for her throughout her life, so she calms him down when he gets a bit fractious,” the employee said, adding that they “don’t know” where William would be without his wife. “She says he sometimes has to be treated as her fourth child!”
As for why Kate views William as her “fourth child,” another anonymous royal staff member explained in the book that both William and his father, King Charles III, “get irritated very quickly” and are “very picky” as they are used to having things done for them.
“People who have everything done for them from childhood tend to be rather spoiled and prone to bouts of irritation because they have no idea how much work is involved in washing and ironing, polishing and sewing when they have never done any of it themselves,” the source said.
A third staff member told Quinn that both Charles and William are “prone to tantrum” if “things are not done to their liking.”
Quinn told Fox News that William’s behavior could be due to his “emotionally damaging childhood” from Princess Diana’s death when he was 15 years old. “All the unpleasantness between his parents was played out on the world stage. Meanwhile, he was looked after by paid staff,” he said. “For much of that time, it created an adult in William who was very needy. He loved spending time with Kate’s family because, unlike his, they were very warm, very close with each other, very emotionally aware.”
The author also noted that William’s outbursts were much worse when he and Kate first started dating and “things didn’t go his way.” “He was still this emotionally needy child who grew up into an emotionally needy adult,” Quinn said, admitting that William’s tantums are “less so now” that he’s older.
Yes Ma’am: Upstairs Downstairs in the British Royal Family
is available on Amazon
.
