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30+ Photos Of The Royal Family With Dogs To Make Your Day Better
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It doesn't really get much better than browsing through photos of the royal family hanging out with dogs. And, fortunately, there are loads of them. While the royal family is very accustomed to a whole lot of pomp and circumstance when dealing with the general public, they've also always been big fans of all breeds of dogs and, like most of us, can't help but melt when faced with one.
The royal tradition of deep dog love seems to have started back in the 17th century with King Charles I, who loved King Charles spaniels so much they were featured in several royal family portraits, according to the Royal Collection Trust. As for Queen Victoria, she was all about those terriers and Queen Elizabeth II's own father King George VI continued the trend of truly valuing the royal dogs long before he was a king. When he was still the Duke of York, he received the first of the long line of royal corgis, Dookie, in 1933. His daughter Queen Elizabeth continued to breed the line first started by Dookie right up until 2015, over 80 years later, according to The Guardian. That's some doggone commitment.
More modern day royals, like Prince William and Prince Harry, have also been obsessed with pups throughout their lives, so let's have a look back at some of the best photos of royals and dogs.
King George VI Loved Dogs
King George V had several dogs in his lifetime, but was particularly fond of his line of corgis.
Queen Elizabeth Has A Deep Love For Corgis
Even as an adult, corgis have been constant companions of the queen.
Princess Diana And Prince Harry With A Puppy
Princess Diana and Prince Harry look super content to be hanging out with this adorable puppy back in Spain in 1987.
Kate Middleton And Prince William Just Playing With Puppies
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got up close and personal with two golden lab puppies at an Army Training Center in Pakistan in 2019.
Little Princess Charlotte With A Big Dog
In 2016, Princess Charlotte was getting a little love from a big therapy dog during a visit to British Columbia, Canada.
Prince Charles And Harvey
The look of love on Prince Charles' pet retriever Harvey's face says it all. These two were clearly living the life at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The Queen Mum And Young Prince Charles Bonding Over Pets
Please enjoy the Queen Mother hanging out with her dog and her grandson, a young Prince Charles, in 1950.
Prince William, The Dog Tamer
Prince William and Prince Harry were all about dogs during a visit to meet the Spanish royal family in Majorca, Spain in 1987.
Meghan Markle Can't Get Enough Dog Love
Meghan Markle loves dogs so much that in 2018 she threw her patronage behind Mayhew, an animal charity that re-homes dogs in the United Kingdom.
Prince Harry + Puppies = Pure Joy
In 2010, pre-beard Prince Harry visited a Canine Training Center and looked like he fell in love with a sweet little puppy named Veyron.
Kate Middleton And Lucky Little Lupo
Before Kate Middleton became a mother of three, she was a dog mom to Lupo in 2011, the English cocker spaniel she shared with her her husband Prince William. She even took Lupo to polo charity events, although from the looks of this picture he wasn't watching.
Corgi-In-Waiting
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip look like they're the ones standing to attention for this little corgi.
Even Queen Elizabeth Has To Put Her Dogs In A Time Out
In the photo, Queen Elizabeth is definitely giving this dog a time out when he gets back to Windsor Castle.
Queen Mum Passing On The Dog Love
The Queen Mum taught young Prince Charles and Princess Anne how to treat dogs from a young age.
Princess Anne Taking The Leash
Princess Anne has a reputation for being outdoorsy, so when it came time to walk her dog at Gatcombe Park in 1974, of course she did it herself.
Young Princes With Their Dogs
Prince Andrew and Prince Edward take over corgi duty for their mother while she's busy being queen.
Anniversary With Dogs
Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 32nd anniversary with Prince Philip with a family portrait, including her dogs.
Passing The Leash
Princess Anne took her granddaughter, Mia Tindall, out to walk the family dog and let her hold the leash.
Two Royals With Two Little Puppies
Prince William and Kate Middleton greet adorable puppies in New Zealand in 2014.
Camilla And Prince Charles Meet The Terriers
Maybe Camilla Parker and Prince Charles were considering a Jack Russell terrier after meeting these dogs in 2015.
A Portrait Of Royal Women And A Dog
Princess Anne inherited her mother's determination and her love of dogs.
Polo Playing And Corgis
Queen Elizabeth cheered Prince Philip on during a polo match with one of the corgis in tow in a quintessential royal combinations.
Just A Dog Climbing On A Prince
Prince Harry was in formal attire for Remembrance Day in 2018 at Westminster Abbey, but he still let a dog climb up on him. Why not, right?
Sisters Bonding Over Dogs
Princess Margaret clearly loved dogs as much as her sister.
Prince Harry Scratching A Dog
This sweet golden retriever got a little face scratch from the Duke of Sussex in October 2018. Lucky dog.
The Look Of Love
Prince Harry was getting in some serious bonding time with a dog at the Invictus Games in 2017.
Putting Prince Harry To Work
Prince Harry stepped in to dry off this service dog in 2016 in Orlando because even royals bow down to canines.
Prince Harry Practicing His Uncle Skills
Prince Harry practiced his good uncle skills with Lupo, Prince William and Kate Middleton's dog, during a polo match in 2012.
A Royal Back Scratch
In 2010, Prince Harry was visiting Africa and stopped to give this grateful dog a royal back scratch.
Gingers Unite
Prince Harry's hair totally matches the fur of these dogs at Eton. And they all look super proud of that.
Prince William Hanging In Balmoral
Prince William looked happy to be hanging out with his dog by the river in Balmoral in 1997, sadly just a month before his mom died.
No Such Things As Too Many Dogs
There is obviously no such thing as too many dogs for Prince William, who was having the time of his life with all the hounds at the Badminton Horse Trials in 1991.
Prince William Walking A Dog
Prince William looked too happy to be walking a dog as a little boy.
Riding In Cars With Dogs
Queen Elizabeth shares the back seat with her corgi to head into Buckingham Palace.
And that's all you need to know about how much the royal family loves dogs.
