Prince of Wales plays with family dog and her new puppies in picture marking 43rd birthday | UK News

Kensington Palace has released a picture showing the Prince of Wales playing with their family dog and her new puppies.

The photo was taken in Windsor earlier this month and was released as he celebrated his 43rd birthday.

It shows Prince William gazing adoringly into the eyes of one of the puppies as another clambers over his legs.

The family’s black cocker spaniel, Orla, gave birth to four puppies last month, three of which can be seen in the photograph.

In the Instagram post, signed from Catherine, George, Charlotte, and Louis, the family said: “Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!”

The message was signed off with an emoji showing a pair of paws.

Orla was first seen in a picture of Princess Charlotte marking her seventh birthday in May 2022.

She was gifted to the family in 2020 by Kate’s brother, James Middleton, who breeds dogs, after their first dog together, cocker spaniel Lupo, died unexpectedly.

The King and Queen’s Instagram account also posted a new picture of Prince William to mark his birthday, showing him dressed in a shirt and sitting in a field.

They wrote: “Happy birthday to the Prince of Wales!”

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It comes after the Princess of Wales pulled out of Royal Ascot earlier this week, as she continues to find the right balance after her cancer diagnosis.

Kate was said to be disappointed she could not attend the sporting event in Berkshire alongside Prince William and the King and Queen.

She has been making a gradual return to public duties since it was announced in January she was in remission from cancer.