The Prince and Princess of Wales are growing their family. The news comes after a few complicated months for the Royal family, as King Charles is reportedly very sick, and Prince William and King Charles remain at odds with Prince Harry. However, Prince William and Kate Middleton, who have been facing divorce rumors for a while, seem to be moving on from those in a very positive way.

The Sun had previously reported the news that the couple’s black cocker spaniel Orla had given birth to several healthy puppies, with a source telling the publication that Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were hoping to keep the puppies. “Everyone loves a new royal baby news and so new royal puppies run very close,” the source added. Orla was given to the couple by Kate Middleton’s brother James in 2020, after the death of their dog Lupo.

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Now, we’ve gotten our first look at the new members of the royal family. Kensington Palace posted a picture of Prince William on social media to commemorate his 43rd birthday. The picture, taken by the Princess of Wales, shows Prince William with Orla and three of her four puppies.

The message was signed “with love”, with the initials of Catherine and their children, George, Charlotte, Louis, and “the puppies,” with a paw print emoji. It was reportedly taken in Windsor earlier this month.

But just because the family is growing in one way, that doesn’t mean the Prince and Princess of Wales are ready for their family to grow in another way. Tom Quinn, the author of Yes Ma’am: Upstairs Downstairs in the British Royal Family, joked in an interview with Fox News in March 2025 that Prince William and Kate Middleton 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 at the time, with the claim later confirmed by an anonymous royal staff member.

“She hasn’t had everything done for her throughout her life, so she calms him down when he gets a bit fractious,” the report said, with the source adding that they “don’t know” where William would be without Middleton. “She says he sometimes has to be treated as her fourth child!”

There’s more. Another royal staff member explained in the book that this type of behavior is common not just to Prince William, but his father, King Charles III, calling them “very picky” due to the fact that they’re used to things being 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.

As it stands, it looks like the Prince and Princess of Wales are happy to grow their family with just more dogs.

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