Catherine shared the news during an official visit to West Wales, offering a rare personal insight that many observers had been waiting to hear.
Princess Catherine confirmed the arrival of the puppy while visiting family-run textile company Huit Denim in Cardigan on Tuesday, during her second engagement of the day.
As she toured the workshop and spoke with staff, the Princess was drawn to a cocker spaniel named Barney. Kneeling down to stroke the dog, she remarked: “You are lovely!” before telling staff, “We have the same breed of dog.”
When asked, “How old are yours?”, Catherine replied: “So we’ve got a little puppy, he’s only eight months, and Orla’s five.”
The moment was later confirmed by Huit Denim CEO Johann Von Loeper, who spoke to People about the interaction.
“She had a rather long chat with my fiancée about our dog, about how she also has cocker spaniels and that hers is the same age as ours,” he said.
“It was a nice moment that broke the ice,” Von Loeper added.
Rumours That Have Circulated for Months
Speculation about a new Wales family puppy first surfaced last May, after reports emerged that Orla—the couple’s black cocker spaniel gifted by Catherine’s younger brother James in 2020—had welcomed a litter of four puppies.
In June, Kensington Palace appeared to subtly acknowledge the news while celebrating Prince William’s 43rd birthday on June 21. A candid photo showed William sitting on the grass with three puppies climbing across his lap, accompanied by the message: “Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!”
Orla’s Place in the Wales Family
Orla, whose name means “golden princess” in Celtic, has become a familiar figure in both private and public family moments. She has appeared in Princess Charlotte’s seventh birthday portrait, at a polo match in 2022, and in a video shared by Catherine in 2024 during her cancer treatment.
She was also seen alongside Prince William in his recent interview with comedian Eugene Levy for the Apple TV travel series The Reluctant Traveller.
During that interview, William spoke about Orla’s connection to the couple’s first dog, Lupo.
“So [Orla’s] actually the niece of our other dog, Lupo, who sadly we lost in lockdown,” William said.
Levy asked: “Were you there? When it happened?” to which William replied: “Yeah we were all there sadly, it was very sad.”
The couple later announced Lupo’s death on Instagram, writing: “Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much.”
What We Still Don’t Know
The Waleses have not yet shared the new puppy’s name, nor have they revealed the identity of its father.
Catherine’s visit to Wales, and her light-hearted exchange about the family’s dogs, offered a brief sense of warmth during what has otherwise been a difficult week for the British Royal Family.
The moment came shortly after the US Department of Justice released the latest tranche of Epstein Files, which repeatedly referenced the former Duke and Duchess of York. The documents include emails sent from accounts labelled “The Duke” and “The Invisible Man,” along with messages from “Sarah” and references to “Fergie” and “Duchess of York.”
Disturbingly, those emails were sent after Epstein’s release from prison in July 2009, following a 13-month sentence for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
