The royal family has clearly been enjoying the "dog days" of summer. Last week, the news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had welcomed a new rescue beagle named Mamma Mia, then, in honor of International Dog Day, Kate Middleton's younger brother, James Middleton, announced that he has a whole new litter via one of his beloved dogs, Mabel.
A post shared by James Middleton (@jmidy)
"Mabel's golden bundles of joy to celebrate International dogs day," he wrote on an Instagram post featuring a video montage of Mabel's pregnancy and the first few weeks of the new puppies's lives. "A few weeks ago Mabel gave birth to 8 healthy puppies. She passed all of her breed health screening tests with flying colours and has been the most amazing mother. There are some wonderful homes waiting for the pups + some very exciting news for one which I look forward to sharing soon."
The self-described "dog dad" is famously effusive in his love for his pack of pups, Ella, Luna, Inca, Zulu, Nala and Mabel. In fact, he even operates a "happiness & wellbeing company for dogs" focused on healthy food for dogs, called Ella & Co. The brand also shared a few sweet snaps of the new litter, writing, "The cat's out the bag. or rather, the puppies are out the box! Welcoming a new brood to the Ella & Co pack. Mabel has amazing motherly instincts and I'm so proud of her in this journey."
A post shared by Ella & Co (@ella.co)
While the puppies are all apparently bound for happy homes, the mention of "very exciting news for one" has raised some eyebrows over the possibility that one of the new litter might be bound for a royal residence. It certainly wouldn't be without precedence: the Cambridge's cocker spaniel, Orla, came from the litter of one of James's dogs, Luna-the sister of William and Kate's four-legged friend Lupo, who passed away in 2020.