Since the very beginning in 1066 The Royal Family had owned pets. King William I used to ride horses in battle. The Royals love to ride horses even to the current day. The British monarch also owns swans, dophins and whales along the UK coastline.
King Henry VIII was the first monarch to own a dog in the Tudor times owning beagles, spaniels and greyhounds. They kept him company while going out hunting. He awarded people if one of his dogs got out. His dogs would wear collars to signify their royal status.
We go to 1625 during the reign of King Charles I. He was very famous for his love of dogs as there is a breed of dog named after him called the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He had a brown and white spaniel on his journey with him to the tower when he was executed by Oliver Cromwell.
After restoring the monarchy in 1660 King Charles II was the type of king who focused on partying as the monarchy was restored. He also had King Charles Spaniels the spaniel is named after both Charles's because they had long black ears like both kings had long black hair.
Now we go to the reign of King George III and keep various pets including terriers, spaniels and greyhounds. King George also had a pet zebra called Zanga and a cheetah called Miss Jenny which was a gift to him.
King George III's son King George IV was known for his love of animals and owned a number of pets including dogs and exotic animals including a giraffe. He was particularly fond of spaniels. In Windsor great park he was known to own giraffes, tigers and lions. He took over ownership of his father's pet zebra Zanga. He also had a parrot called Charlotte.
Queen Victoria had a wide range of pets including different breeds of dogs, horses, donkeys and even some goats. Victoria grew up with her pet called Dash who was a King Charles Spaniels. Queen Victoria also owned horses and donkeys that she kept in the stables at Buckingham Palace.
The king who abdicated King Edward VIII after he was banished he fled to Paris he and his wife Wallis Simpson owned a few pugs. He got inspired by his grandmother Queen Victoria who was a dog lover.
Edward VIII's younger brother King George VI owned many pets including Labradors and Corgis. It was King George VI who introduced the Pembroke Welsh Corgi breed to the royal family when he introduced Dookie in 1933. That breed of dog became a favourite breed for himself and his two daughters.
Queen Elizabeth II's reign will always be reminded to people for her love of horses and corgis, she bred corgis with dacshunds to create the new breed of a dorgi. All of her corgis were descended from her favourite corgi Susan. Susan was given to Princess Elizabeth's 18th birthday. Elizabeth II also was known to ride her horses almost everyday, she spent most of her free time at the stables at either residence she resided in. When Queen Elizabeth II died on the 8th September 2022 her corgis were sent to be looked after by her son Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah. Elizabeth had around 30 corgis during her reign.
During her funeral on the 19th September 2022 her corgis Sandy and Muick were waiting for their owner in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle and her pony Emma was waiting half way up the long walk of Windsor. She was seen almost bowed to her late owner as she went past her.
King Charles III had a few pets throughout his life. He likes Jack Russell Terriers and Labradors. He first owned a Chocolate Labrador called Dash when Dash was just a puppy. He also owned a Golden Labrador named Harvey who was given away to one of his aides he gave him away due to his ex-wife Diana who said that Harvey was too old and smelly.
He had quite a few Jack Russell Terriers the two were Pooh and Tigga. One day Prince Charles went to Balmoral to spend some of the summer with his mother in 1993 and went out for a walk with Tigga and Pooh and when he got back to the castle he realised that Pooh didn't come back with him. There was a whole search party for him and even rewarded anyone who found him. He never came back and they believed that Pooh fell down a rabbit hole and couldn't get out. Tigga passed away in 2002.
When Charles married Camilla Shand in 2005 they had no dogs. Camilla started adopting 2 Jack Russell Terriers named Beth and Bluebell from Battersea dogs and cats home. Beth and Bluebell were dogs who would attend engagements with their owners and take part in documentaries about their owners. In November 2024 Beth was put to sleep with a cancer that had spread.
In December 2024 a new royal pup called Moley was born to which Camilla adopted after the sad death of her beloved dog Beth. Then in February 2025 King Charles III adopted a Lagotto Romagnolo puppy named Snuff he's apparently absolutely smitten with Snuff as Snuff was the first dog he owned in decades.
It was confirmed on the 24th April that King Charles III’s new pup snuff was a gift from his darling wife Camilla for Christmas in 2024.
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