Prince William Tells a Fan That He and Princess Kate Don't Sleep Alone

Kate Middleton wearing a blue dress and hugging Prince William who is wearing a a white and blue polo jersey

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 18 October 2024

The royals' bedroom habits are, understandably, not a topic that often comes up in casual conversation. But one fan was treated to a rare tidbit about Prince William and Princess Kate's home life when he revealed a sweet fact about their bedtime routine during a visit to the Duchy College in Cornwall, England, on Thursday, Oct. 17.

While chatting with a local woman, Prince William seemed to take a liking to her adorable black-and-white dog, causing him to share a story about his rarely-seen cocker spaniel, Orla.

"He was absolutely in love with my little dog here," the fan said in a video shared on Instagram by fan account william_catherine82, which was originally taken by Hits Radio.

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After asking her about the dog's unusual breed ("he's a cocker jack," the woman explained), the Prince of Wales said, per the fan, "that his little dog sleeps on the bed with him at night, with him and Kate."

Fans talking about meeting Prince William
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The sweet glimpse into their home life should probably come as no surprise, as Princess Kate's brother, James Middleton, famously loves dogs—particularly cocker spaniels—and gave Orla to his sister and brother-in-law in 2020 after one of his dogs had puppies.

However, the elusive pup has only been seen one time in public, attending the 2022 Royal Charity Polo Cup. She has, however, starred in Princess Charlotte's seventh birthday photos and the Princess of Wales's September 2024 cancer update video.

Princess Kate wearing a white dress and Prince William wearing white pants and a polo jersey walking away with their back to the camera and their black dog running behind them — Orla made her first (and only) public appearance at a 2022 polo match.

As for Thursday's visit, William greeted plenty of other pups (and students) during his visit to the college, with several people sharing in the aforementioned Instagram Reel that the royal had no pretenses. "He was a really down-to-earth person and seemed genuinely interested in farming, which was great," one woman said.

"Today we had a really important VIP guest, but actually, it didn't feel like that at all. It just felt like he'd come home. He was genuinely...felt like he was one of the community today," another local shared.

Perhaps William can bring Orla with him next time.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.