The Princess of Wales admitted that the puppy “chewed quite a lot the other day” during a Buckingham Palace garden party

Kate Middleton; Royal dog Otto

Kate Middleton; Otto the dog.Credit : Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram

 

Kate Middleton and Prince William recently added a bit more chaos to their household with the introduction of a new puppy.

The Princess of Wales, 44, opened up about the 1-year-old cocker spaniel pup, whom the family has named Otto, during a garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 8. She admitted he had recently gotten into a bit of trouble at home when he “chewed quite a lot the other day,” according to Hello! magazine.

“You have to keep them busy,” she added, revealing their morning routine to keep him from getting into trouble. “The first thing we do in the morning is check, ‘Has anyone taken Otto out?’ “

It’s not Kate and William’s first go-round as puppy parents. Their first dog as a couple, Lupo, also a black cocker spaniel, was a wedding gift from Kate’s younger brother, James Middleton. Just before Lupo died in 2020, they welcomed a second dog, black cocker spaniel Orla, into the family.

As for Otto, he was part of a litter that Orla gave birth to last year. Princess Kate confirmed in February that the family had kept one male puppy from that group; however, Otto didn’t make his official family debut until the release of a new portrait last month in celebration of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ 15th wedding anniversary.

Another well-known dog lover in the family, James, 39, had a canine-centric royal outing of his own this week. The breeder and author joined Queen Camilla, 78, at Clarence House on Tuesday, May 12, for a reception for a group of canines from Medical Detection Dogs (MDD), as well as their handlers and supporters of the charity.

MDD’s dogs are trained in early detection of certain types of cancer, a cause close to both the Queen and James’ hearts, as both King Charles and Princess Kate have undergone treatment for cancer in recent years.

Queen Camilla, Patron of Medical Detection Dogs (MDD) speaks to James Middleton during a reception to celebrate the charity at Clarence House on May 12, 2026 in London, England. MDD trains life-saving Medical Alert Assistance Dogs and Bio Detection Dogs, both of which can be trained to detect even the tiniest trace of the smell caused by a medical condition.

James Middleton greets Queen Camilla during a reception to celebrate Medical Detection Dogs (MDD) at Clarence House on May 12, 2026.Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty

The canines’ skills are being explored and replicated by AI to create an “electronic nose,” which can “replicate the dogs’ diagnostic accuracy in scalable technology.”

James wasn’t just on hand at the reception to support the royal family. His dog food company, James & Ella, donated treats for the MDD dogs.

“It’s a real honor to be part of the charity,” he told the Queen.