Princess Charlotte and Inigo are alike in more ways than one, as they are both reportedly also devoted to their canine companions. Cocker spaniel Orla is a highly valued member of the Wales family, and Charlotte has been photographed grinning and hugging her several times. James Middleton, meanwhile, has spoken of how the many dogs he shares with his wife have helped to raise his son, describing it as ‘wonderful’ that the pups ‘have really welcomed’ Inigo as a new addition to the family. ‘He’s been on all fours, and now he’s walking,’ he told Titchmarsh. ‘He gets stability by holding on to the back of a dog, and basically they start walking and he doesn’t really have a choice, so he starts walking.’
Dogs have been of immense emotional importance to the Princess of Wales’s brother, who shared such a deep connection to his late cocker spaniel, Ella, that he wrote a memoir describing how she helped him through depression, royal weddings and everything in between. Now, James and Alizee have six dogs together: Zulu, Inka, Luna and Nala, who are all cocker spaniels and descendants of Ella; plus Mabel and Isla – golden retrievers and descendants of Tilly, the Middleton family’s first dog.
The younger brother of Kate and Pippa has been effusive in his love of man’s best friend, and told crowds during a publication day event at Waterstones in Tottenham Court Road that he hopes to work with dogs one day. ‘I’d love to have a rescue centre in the future,’ he said, as per Daily Mail columnist, Richard Eden. ‘It’s a dream that I hope to make a reality. I want to give back to dogs, as much as they’ve given me.’