Prince William and Princess Kate share rare photo of 'beautiful' family member

The Prince and Princess of Wales left fans speechless on Friday when the royal couple shared a sweet photo of their rarely-seen dog, Orla.

Taking to their social media pages, the royal couple marked National Pet Day with a snap of their spaniel, who appeared to have enjoyed some time in the water given her wet coat. "Celebrating the animals who bring so much joy, companionship and love to our lives this #NationalPetDay," they wrote alongside the paw and dog emojis.

Fans were mostly left speechless in the comments, with many simply posting heart emojis. However, one said: "Orla is such a beautiful dog. Totally love this pic."

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A second penned: "Most beautiful dog in the world. We love you so much," while a third commented: "Congratulations for such a beautiful homage to our families companions," and a fourth simply said: "Beautiful."

Orla was given to the royal couple by Kate's dog-loving brother, James Middleton, in 2020. The entrepreneur, 37, is the owner of a dog food and lifestyle brand, Ella & Co. and has spoken about how his bond with his therapy dog, Ella, helped to save his life.

William's comments

Back in October, William revealed that the pooch often joins him and his wife in their bed. During a trip to Cornwall last year, the royal told Louise Harland about his sleeping arrangements, and she later revealed them during a radio interview.

"[William] said that his little dog sleeps on the bed with them at night, with him and Kate," she told Hits Radio Cornwall.

"[He was] absolutely in love with my little dog. He asked what breed he was and he's never met one of those breeds – he's a Cockerjack – so he's a little bit of a unique combination."

She said William commented on how "soft" her pooch's ears were, and "gave him lots of loving."

Orla also has quite the regal name. Her moniker translates from Gaelic to mean 'golden princess'.

Another dog?

Last month, the Wales family caused a little bit of confusion when it appeared that they had adopted another young puppy, although this pooch didn't feature in their latest post.

On Mother's Day, Kensington Palace released a video of the family in Norfolk last year and Kate was joined by a mysterious brown Cocker Spaniel.

While no official statement has been made, it appears that the Wales family were joined by another pet which may belong to Carole and Michael Middleton, who were with the family when the video was shot.

"Princess Catherine has a new puppy," noticed one follower, while another added: "Guys Orla has a new brother or sister." To which, one person replied: "I noticed that last year on the video but it never got traction."

The footage, shot by Will Warr, was taken last year in Norfolk. The canine companion could also belong to Kate's brother James Middleton, who is a devoted dog enthusiast and experienced Cocker Spaniel breeder.