International Dog Day 2023:Why was the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Instagram tribute unusual?

As a dog owner myself, I firmly believe that they should be celebrated every day, rather than on one occasion. International Dog Day was created by Colleen Paige on August 26, 2004 as this was when she and her family adopted their first dog ‘Sheltie’ from an animal shelter home. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales celebrated International Dog Day on their Instagram by sharing a reel. The caption for the post read: “Is the hashtag #DogsOnRoyalVisits a thing?! For #InternationalDogDay here are some we’ve said hello to on the road this year, followed by a dog emoji.

Fans were quick to react to the post and one said: “Ahh love this!! Please make it a royal tradition,” whilst another said: “Love our love for animals! Wonderful example of kindness!”

What made the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Instagram post in honour of International Dog Day slightly unusual is that it was more light-hearted than their normal posts that tend to acknowledge their charity work. The soundtrack for the post was ‘Who Let The Dogs Out? which is by the Baha Men. 

According to Hello! Prince William is a big fan of dogs and “loves to meet them during engagements and made an emotional comment, when meeting a dog last September, shortly after his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth died.” When he thanked crowds for their support during a walkabout at Windsor Castle, he said: “Doggies at this time are very important.”

Do the Prince and Princess of Wales own a dog?

The Prince and Princess of Wales have owned a spaniel called Orla for several years that has only been publicly seen a few times. However on the occasion of Princess Charlotte’s eighth birthday, they released two new official portraits of her and Orla played a starring role. The couple tragically lost their first dog Lupo in 2020.