The royals have got May under way with a name reveal and their
pick has plenty of regal history.
As the new month started, the Prince and Princess of Wales
shared a photo of their newest pet. The gorgeous brown cocker
spaniel, who has joined the Wales family, is called Otto.
He’s the son of Orla, the pet dog that joined the family in
2020, the same year they lost their beloved dog, Lupo, who had been
with them for nine years. Orla was a gift to William, Kate and
their children from the brother of the Princess of Wales, James
Middleton.
Otto made his debut on the social media of the Prince and
Princess of Wales in a portrait taken by Kate who also snapped him
last year, just after Orla had given birth to her litter of three
pups. The dogs joined Prince William in a birthday portrait, also
taken by the Princess of Wales.
In his latest appearance on their socials, Otto looks like a
very happy pup as he marked a whole year with his royal fans.
Pictured out on one of his many walks, he is a little windswept and
quite content to sit happily for the Princess of Wales as she takes
his photo.
The new royal pet’s name also has its own royal history. Otto
was the name of four Holy Roman Emperors who ruled chunks of Europe
in the 10th and 11th centuries, including Otto the Great and his
son, Otto II.
It was also the name of the first King of the Greece, chosen
after the London Protocol of 1829 ruled that Greece would be ruled
by a monarchy as long as the king wasn’t from the dynasties of the
three ‘Great Powers’ – Britain, France and Russia. Otto was
actually from Bavaria and took the throne in 1832. However, his
reign ran into trouble and he ended up in exile where he died,
without an heir. The throne of Greece went to a Danish prince,
elected to the role. He reigned as King George I and one of his
grandsons was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Right now, it’s definitely best known as the name of the new
royal dog who is fast becoming a star of the family’s social media.
On April 29, he was seen in a photo marking the 15th wedding
anniversary of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Otto, along with
mum Orla, joined William and Kate and their three children for a
portrait taken by Matt Porteous which showed them all relaxing on
their family break in Cornwall during the Easter holidays.
The Wales family have shared some special moments from that
Cornish break in recent days as they celebrate a series of
milestones. On April 23, Prince Louis was seen enjoying the holiday
in birthday photos taken to mark him turning 8.
