YOU King Charles III - Commemorative edition
IT’S A DOG’S LIFE!
Charles and Camilla adore Beth and Bluebell – and these cheeky Jack Russells rule the royal roost
THE queen was crazy about corgis and became synonymous with the shortlegged, smileyfaced breed – but while her son has inherited his mother’s love for dogs, there isn’t a corgi in sight at his and Camilla’s home.
For the king and queen, it’s all about the Jack Russell – and the pair of pooches that share their lives make the royal couple as happy as a dog with a new bone.
Over the years we’ve seen Beth and Bluebell pop up on social media posts and these two canine characters are clearly doted on.
When Camilla turned 75 in July 2022, she released an official portrait of herself in the gardens of Clarence House, a cup of tea on the table in front of her, and Beth perched on her lap.
Nothing beats the unconditional love of a four-legged friend, she says.
“The nice thing about dogs is you can sit them down and have a nice long conversation with them.
“You could be cross, you could be sad and they just sit looking at you, wagging their tail.”
PROUDLY RESCUE MUTTS
Her Majesty had a long history of breeding corgis and dorgis – the dachshund-corgi mix beloved by Princess Margaret. But Charles and Camilla chose to adopt Beth and Bluebell in 2017 from an animal rescue organisation.
They were originally rescued by the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London, of which Camilla is the royal patron.
Workers at the centre found Beth tied to a post. Bluebell was discovered wandering in the woods in a sorry state.
Camilla says they adopted Beth first. “Along I went to Battersea and Beth appeared – she’d just been moved from pillar to post and dumped,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Then we thought it would be nice for her to have a friend.
“They found Bluebell two or three weeks later in the woods, no hair, covered in sores, virtually dead. And they nursed her back to life and her hair grew again. She’s very sweet, but a tiny bit neurotic, shall we say.”
The pair now have the grand honour of being the first rescue dogs to call a royal residence home. The queen’s dogs were famously spoilt – in Buckingham Palace they had their own room complete with a wooden door with a gold handle and a polished floor.
They dined on the finest food (and were often hand-fed by Her Majesty).
No doubt Beth and Bluebell will enjoy many of the perks of the palace too now their master is king of England.
THE ORIGINAL JACK RUSSELL
Long before Beth and Bluebell came along, Charles had a Jack Russell called Tigga, named after the character in Winnie the Pooh.
The dog became a canine celebrity back in 1986 when he took pride of place on Princess Diana’s lap while posing for the family Christmas card.
Charles had Tigga from when he was a puppy and he quickly became a muchloved member of the royal household, appearing in many family portraits.
He was later joined by another Jack Russell, named Pooh.
Tragically, Pooh disappeared when the family was staying at Balmoral in the 1990s and a distraught Charles offered a £30 reward for her return.
The dog was never found – one theory was she got stuck in a rabbit hole while chasing a rabbit on the vast estate.
Tigga died in 2002 at the grand age of 18 and Charles had him buried on his country estate of Highgrove House.
He later commissioned artist Emma Stothard to create a willow sculpture of the dog standing in the estate’s gardens for visitors to admire.
One of Tigga’s offspring, Freddy, became Camilla’s canine companion.