Lupo (December 2011 – November 2020) was an

English Cocker Spaniel The English Cocker Spaniel is a breed of gun dog. It is noteworthy for producing one of the most varied numbers of pups in a litter among all dog breeds. The English Cocker Spaniel is an active, good-natured, sporting dog standing well up a ...

owned by

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educa ...

and

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

, then known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. He was credited with raising the profile of the breed in the United Kingdom by

The Kennel Club The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also oper ...

, and appeared in photographs alongside his owners' son, Prince George.

Life and family

Lupo was bred from Ella, a dog owned by

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

and

Carole Middleton Carole Elizabeth Middleton (''née'' Goldsmith; born 31 January 1955) is a British businesswoman. She is the mother of Catherine, Princess of Wales, Philippa Matthews, and James Middleton. Born in Perivale and brought up in Southall, London ...

, the parents of Catherine, Princess of Wales. He was a working-type

. Lupo was born in a litter just prior to Christmas 2011, and was given to Catherine and her husband,

. Following the birth of William and Catherine's son

Prince George of Wales Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charl ...

, Lupo was featured in one of the first official photographs. He was subsequently featured in a family portrait with William, Catherine and George in March 2014. He did not travel with his owners on their tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2014. Lupo briefly appeared posthumously in a video released to commemorate William and Catherine's tenth anniversary, filmed in 2020 at

Anmer Hall Anmer Hall is a Georgian country house in the village of Anmer in Norfolk, England. Built in the 19th century, it was acquired by the Sandringham Estate sometime after Queen Victoria purchased the property, and has previously been leased to b ...

Origin of name

"Lupo" is the Italian word for

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

and derived from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"lupus". It was reported that Catherine named the dog after the family of her paternal great-grandmother, Olive Christiana Middleton (née Lupton); the

Lupton family The Lupton family in Yorkshire achieved prominence in ecclesiastical and academic circles in England in the Tudor era through the fame of Roger Lupton, provost of Eton College and chaplain to Henry VII and Henry VIII. By the Georgian era, ...

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

has

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

on it. The pair appeared on the front cover of ''

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...

'' magazine.

Death

Lupo died in November 2020, of unknown causes. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared an image on Instagram on 22 November 2020, saying: "Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much. – W & C".

Cultural impact

has attributed the raised profile and interest in English Cocker Spaniels to Lupo. There was an increase of 50% in the searches on its "Find A Puppy" website in the months following the royal couple's announcement of their ownership of Lupo. This increased interest has also had the effect of an increase in thefts of English Cocker Spaniels. Aby King is signed to a four-book deal to write about the fictional adventures of Lupo for children. She was inspired following walks in

Kensington Palace Gardens Kensington Palace Gardens is an exclusive street in Kensington, west of central London, near Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace. Entered through gates at either end and guarded by sentry boxes, it was the location of the London Cage, th ...

with her own Cocker Spaniel, and the death of her fiancé. The first book is called ''The Adventures of Lupo the Royal Dog: The Secret of Windsor Castle'' and was released in September 2014.

References

{{Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge 2011 animal births 2020 animal deaths Individual dogs in politics Pets of the British Royal Family