Prince William and Kate Middleton welcome 'new additions' after family's 'tough time'

The Prince and Princess of Wales have welcomed several new family members - and the reason for their growing household has been revealed. Since the beginning of 2024, the Wales family have endured an incredibly tough time following Kate's cancer diagnosis following major abdominal surgery and her subsequent chemotherapy treatment.

She later shared with the public in January that she's now in remission, expressing her "relief" on social media and her intention to focus on recovery while anticipating a "fulfilling year." But despite the uncertainty over the past year, it now appears there is cause for joy for the couple and their children -Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis - with the arrival of new puppies.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Rebecca English reveals the couple's decision to allow their pet dog Orla to have her own litter. She said: "We should not forget, of course, that Catherine's young brood – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, ten, and seven-year-old Prince Louis – have also endured a tough time.

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"As parents, there is always only so much we can keep from our children, particularly when it comes to physical illness. It's one of the reasons, I am told, that she and Prince William have decided to breed from their adored spaniel, Orla. Not only has it been something fun for the children to look forward to, but I am told they are planning to keep one of the pups."

Over the weekend, William rang in his 43rd birthday, and the official Kensington Royal account captured the celebratory mood with a delightful snap of the Prince relaxing with Orlaand her litter of adorable new pups.

Orla, the black cocker spaniel who was gifted to the Wales family by Kate's brother, James Middleton, recently became the proud mum of four puppies. The birthday post was lovingly captioned: "Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!"

Back in April, for National Pet Day, the Wales household showed off Orla in a snapshot where the spaniel appeared soaking wet, with the day commemorated as: “Celebrating the animals who bring so much joy, companionship and love to our lives this #NationalPetDay.”

In another Orla-themed snap, she appeared in a photo alongside Princess Charlotte on her seventh birthday. The young princess was hugging the family dog in the picture, taken in Norfolk during the bank holiday weekend.

William's late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was notably an animal lover herself, with a keen fondness for horses and, famously, for her corgis. In a display for her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, London saw a charming parade of more than 100 corgis.

During her record-breaking seven-decade reign, the late Queen owned dozens of corgis, with Princess Diana reportedly joking that she walked with a "moving carpet" of them.