Hint: It has to do with the couple's sleeping arrangements
Prince William Just Made a Confession About His Home Life with Kate—and You’re Totally Going to Relate
Published on Nov. 07, 2024
We know, we know—the royals can seem a little unrelatable at times. After all, most of us don’t have titles straight out of Bridgerton, live in a literal palace and wear tiaras on the regular (at least not in public). But at their heart, the members of the British royal family are just regular people, especially Prince William and Princess Kate. This is a couple who met in college, has three kids and prepares decidedly normal meals, like roasted chicken, at home.
But Prince William’s latest revelation about the couple’s sleeping arrangements may sound very familiar, especially if you’re a pet parent. Read on to get a glimpse into their bedroom.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more royals, humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
What did William confess?
During a visit to Duchy College in Cornwall, England, on Oct. 17, Prince William let it slip that he and Kate share their bed at night with a very snuggly family member: their cocker spaniel, Orla!
The confession arose when William met royal onlooker Louise Harland and her dog, Jacks. As the prince petted a very excited Jacks, Harland gushed about her dog, like any proud pet parent. William responded by saying his dog “loves cuddles” as well, adding that “she’s in my bed all the time.”
As it turns out, Jacks’s breed may have spurred the bonding moment and confession. The dog is a cockerjack—half cocker spaniel like Orla and half Jack Russell terrier. “[He was] absolutely in love with my little dog,” Harland told Hits Radio Cornwall. “He asked what breed he was, and he’s never met one of those breeds. He’s a cockerjack, so he’s a little bit of a unique combination.”
How long have William and Kate had Orla?
Since the summer of 2020, so a little over four years. Orla was given to William and Kate by Kate’s brother, James Middleton, a dog lover, dog breeder and therapy-dog advocate. Just take one look at his Instagram account, and you’ll see that James is on a mission to spread doggy love around the world.
On May 31, 2020, James shared that his pup, Luna, had given birth to six puppies. Nearly two months after they were born, he posted that the puppies were ready for adoption. While there was no mention on social media of William and Kate’s decision to adopt one of Luna’s puppies, the news soon made headlines in various U.K. outlets. According to the Daily Mail, William, Kate and the kids (specifically, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who were 7 and 5, respectively, at the time) “had the pick of the litter.”
What other pets do William and Kate have?
Orla is currently the only royal dog in the Cambridge household. However, she reportedly spent a few months in their home with the family’s other beloved dog, a 9-year-old cocker spaniel named Lupo, who passed away in November 2020. She joins a bevy of royal pets in the extended family—from Queen Elizabeth’s corgis, who are now residing with Sarah Ferguson, to King Charles’s Jack Russell terriers.
That said, the Prince and Princess of Wales do have guinea pigs, which William revealed when visiting Woodgate Valley Urban Farm in Birmingham in April 2024. While helping a child at the facility groom a guinea pig, he said, “These guys are pretty cool. We’ve got guinea pigs at home, and they’re not like this. I spend my life cleaning out the guinea pig cage because the children forget to do it. The ones we’ve got at home, they’re off. You have to keep them constantly stroked and looked after.”
The family also acquired a number of chickens during the COVID-19 lockdown. William said at the time, “Animals are often like therapy.”
What other relatable tidbits have William and Kate shared about their personal lives recently?
A menagerie of pets may seem tame when compared to a gaggle of kids—even well-behaved royal ones! As any parent knows, screen time can be a challenge, and in the Cambridge household, it seems that princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte often have very relatable squabbles. In fact, at a recent event hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Art (BAFTA) and the Royal African Society, William said the kids are “always wrestling over the remote.”
That said, William seems a bit more chill about it than us plebeian parents … at least when addressing BAFTA, which he’s helmed as president since 2010. He said, “Screen arts are such an important part of the fabric of our lives, allowing different voices and perspectives to be accessed and enjoyed in the comfort of our own homes.”
At other times, including in 2022, he admitted that he and Kate were “trying to regulate” the kids’ screen time. It’s not easy, William—we get it!
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- X: “Greatest Hits Radio News”
- Hello!: “Prince William’s unexpected sleeping arrangement with Princess Kate revealed”
- Instagram: James Middleton
- Daily Mail: “Life after Lupo for Kate and Wills: The Cambridges get a new spaniel puppy from her brother James Middleton”
- Hello!: “Prince William and Princess Kate have welcomed new pets at Windsor home – details”
- People: “Kate Middleton and Prince William Have Chickens — Just Like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry!”
- E! News: “Prince William Shares Royally Relatable Parenting Confession About His and Kate Middleton’s Kids”
