Duchess Kate is finally getting Prince Harry a labrador puppy for Christmas

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Prince Harry turned 30 years old back in September. The rumor going around the UK tabloids was that Harry really, really wanted a puppy for his birthday. His birthday came and went and there were no stories about Harry with a new puppy, so I guess Harry probably had a somewhat crappy birthday. But Duchess Kate is trying to ensure that Harry finally gets what he wants for Christmas. Except it will probably be later than that.

Prince Harry could soon be snuggling up with a cute new companion during the long, cold winter nights, I can reveal. But the party-loving prince is not getting back together with his on/off girlfriend Cressida Bonas over the festive period. Instead, he’s set to become the proud new owner of a pet puppy.

Word reaches me that Harry’s sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, has made enquiries about buying a yellow labrador for Harry as a Christmas present from her and Prince William. According to Royal sources, Kate has learned of a litter which is due at the end of November through Drakeshead, which has been successfully breeding and training gun dogs for the past 45 years.

A source tells me that once the puppies are born, Harry, 30, will choose his own to take back to his home at Kensington Palace. Kate is apparently keen to have another dog around the Palace so that her spaniel Lupo has a companion during walks around the area.

I’m told: ‘Kate knows how much Harry loves Lupo, and how much joy he brings him, so it makes sense he should have his own puppy. Apparently she is willing to look after the dog if Harry has to go abroad for Royal duties or with the Army.’

It has previously been reported that Harry was keen to get a puppy for his 30th birthday in September, but in the end it was decided that Christmas would be the perfect occasion for a new pet. The source added: ‘Kate and William worry that Harry gets lonely living on his own, so a pet puppy would be a great solution.’

When Harry first started dating budding actress Cressida, her family had a litter of puppies at their country house, and friends say the Prince delighted in playing with the little bundles of joy in their pen in the corner of the kitchen. The couple were together for two years before splitting up in April, although they have since been spotted enjoying a couple of low-key dates, including a trip to the cinema in September.

Now the next question on everyone’s lips is what His Royal Highness will call his new pet?

[From The Daily Mail]

Isn’t the puppy/kitten season usually in the Spring? But I guess dogs and cats are having litters all year round. Still, it seems like it should be relatively simple to find Lab puppies all over the place, especially in a dog-centric country like England. And why not a rescue? Still, I look forward to seeing Harry finally get a puppy. Lupo probably does need a doggy playmate. Or at the very least, Prince George needs a new puppy best friend.

Meanwhile, Harry made some very interesting comments when he was traveling in Abu Dhabi. He was raising money for his Sentebale charity (the money goes to children in Lesotho) and he admitted that some of the Sentebale funds did not go where they were supposed to:

He said the charity “started really, really small, a very small group of us saying we’re not going to use the funds for other people, it’s going to be all for the kids and pretending we knew what we were doing…Ten years down the line we have made a couple of mistakes and in turn learned from our mistakes. There are so many charities that are, dare I say it, built around egos. A lot of charities survive on those egos. But from my point of view and from us at the foundation, being in that position we have the opportunity to bring so many people that are doing great things together to improve things quicker, rather than waiting five years.”

[From E! News]

Apparently, in the first years of Sentebale, only 8% of the money raised was going to Lesotho, but by 2010, 65% of the money was going to Lesotho. Which still isn’t a great number. When I first read the “so many charities built around egos” quote, I’ll admit it, my first thought was that Harry threw some shade at Prince William. Maybe Harry doesn’t care for the idea of pay-for-play royalty, even if the money goes towards charity. Maybe Harry doesn’t like how William’s charities operate?

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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83 Responses to “Duchess Kate is finally getting Prince Harry a labrador puppy for Christmas”

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  1. ArtHistorian says:

    Those pics of Harry with puppies are all kinds of cute.

    And cats can have a scary number of litters in just one year.

    • Chris2 says:

      Arthistorian
      I think the health advisers at Kensington Palace are involved in this puppy scheme…..they know how powerful cats are, where internet photos are concerned.
      If I saw a photo of Harry grappling with a kitten, I would spontaneously combust, but I’d die happy!
      •le sigh•

    • ROSE says:

      He needs all sorts of pets, and the best life that comes with pets.

  2. wrong says:

    harry just played polo for millions for his foundation so he does the same as william. why is it that this site is always putting wk down. the same about that dresscode story it was all kate’s fault. not the brf or william?

    • LadySlippers says:

      •wrong•

      If you read the comments about dress code — it features William heavily.

    • Red Snapper says:

      Wrong – if you actually read the comments from the dress code post, you’ll see that the overwhelming consensus was that the story was the Grey Men’s doing, not WK.

      This story is all sugar. Kate’s not shallow and selfish, she’s getting Harry a puppy, and she’s going to look after it too! Seriously, when you have to resort to actual puppies to improve your image it’s time to call out the lifeboats.

      It’s been speculated that the Chinese invitation that the Cambridges are “considering” was meant for Harry. So if Harry goes, it will now look like WK really wanted to work, but K’s baby made impossible. So WK get credit for “wanting” to do the tour, but Harry will shoulder all of the work. Clever.

      • notasugarhere says:

        “Apparently she is willing to look after the dog if Harry has to go abroad for Royal duties or with the Army.’” Because she has no royal duties of her own? Time to shop, vacation, go to the hairdresser, time to dog sit. No time to do royal duties.

        @Red Snapper. I think you’re spot on with the China assessment.

      • LadySlippers says:

        •Red Snapper• •notasugarhere•

        I don’t think the Chinese care which high-profile Royal they get; however the British Foreign Office isn’t quite so open. I do believe after his fantastic Jubilee Tour that the FO knew exactly who they wanted to go to China (apparently the Grey Men are in awe of Harry’s ‘magical abilities’ in sticky diplomatic situations). It’ll be interesting to see who actually goes.

      • LadySlippers says:

        The BBC is stating William is indeed going, sans Kate and George.

        http://m.bbc.com/news/uk-30180502

      • FLORC says:

        Nota
        I doubt Kate will dog sit. The only candid photos we see of Lupo is with James and his puppy (Lupos sibling). Or with the Midds on their estate. Someone has to take care of him after all.

        And While I love Harry he’s in no place to get a puppy. He’s so busy. They all have the resources to have pets cared for while they travel. Still, pets seem pr based. It’s part of the happy home image and I take issue with that use.

    • L says:

      What frustrated me about yesterday was that no one seemed to read the part where it said “at formal events”. So the dress code only is requested at the red carpet charity things. If everyone on the carpet is wearing tuxes and gowns- why would you wear jeans? It is normal for those kind of events-if you are a waiter or reporter at a red carpet things you aren’t going to wear jeans and sneakers.

      Heck the us congressional press corps has a official dress code for on camera talent and technicians. Business casual for hearings and other official briefings on the hill -formal for the formal events. I don’t know why it was news for this one situation.

      • LadySlippers says:

        •L•

        In the time of instant messaging and various social media, we now react without investigating, thinking, or reflecting.

        As •Sixer• very eloquently put it in the last Royal post, the Grey Men hit a known ‘soft spot’ of the American mind-set (that is, we strongly dislike for ‘Mummy’ to appear to tell us what to do. Because, thankyouverymuch, we are big enough and old enough to ignore Mummy and do what we want. Hmmf).

        Of course the rules are contextually appropriate — but that isn’t newsworthy. Someone wanted to ruffle feathers. And indeed, feathers were ruffled. So here we have a sugar sweet story to ‘make things all better’.

        🎶🎵 A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, the medicine go down, the medicine go down. In the most delightful way! 🎵🎶

        😉

      • FLORC says:

        L
        To add to LadySlippers and Sixer it wasn’t all about the “Grey men” that drew attention to the thread. While I agree it’s a solid avenue the NY journalist response to the dress code was hilarious. That is what brought more attention to this topic besides the Grey Men and besides it being a fairly standard note sent ahead.

        This is a case where info was spotlighted and people jump to judgement before fully understanding the details. We’re all guilty of it at times.

  3. Sixer says:

    Kate: “I don’t mind what journalists wear. Of course not! Look! I’m the kind of NORMAL gal that buys people puppies!”

    Harry: “Yes, it’s true. Most of the money my charity raised went on paying ludicrous salaries to my posh entitled friends so that they didn’t need to get a real job. I was rumbled, so now it’ll just be SOME of the money my charity raises.”

    There. Who needs Google Translate when you have me?!

    • LadySlippers says:

      •Sixer•

      Dearie, you should write and not edit. Or be my editor — either one is acceptable. 😉

      • Chris2 says:

        Hi LadySlippers
        OT, as so often, but I thought of you, LAK, and Sixer discussing the Grey Men t’other day, when I read, last night, that the collective noun for ‘courtiers’ is ‘a threat’.
        So apt, isn’t it?
        🙂

      • LadySlippers says:

        •Chris2•

        Did you comment? I responded early this morning (US time) to a few things. You should too — it’s a fantastic discussion. The kind that keeps be coming back to CB. 😊

      • Chris2 says:

        LSlippers
        No, I missed that boat. But I’ll mince over to the thread and catch up with reading it…..thanks!

    • notasugarhere says:

      Unfortunately many charities have that problem, especially in early years. He snagged the head of fund raising from Oxfam to fix the situation. He recognized the problem and moved to solve it.

      • Megan says:

        It is never ok for a charity to spend 8% of its revenues on program. It is inexcusable for Harry since he had plenty of access to advice and mentoring from his father and other family members who have vast experience in the field.

      • LadySlippers says:

        •Megan•

        Do we know exactly how much mentoring he received? And while I agree, 8% by any standards is unacceptable, you have to give him props for being courageous enough to say ‘we screwed up and need to fix it’ vs just having a few rich donors come in and Band-Aid Sentebale until it just died. Plenty of charities go that route — Band-Aid themselves just enough to limp into obscurity. Even well connected ones.

      • Lisa Danielle says:

        @ Megan
        Charles was really against Harry starting Sentebale iirc. Harry (probably around age 22, and not having attended college) was probably stubborn and did not want to ask for advice from the person who told him not to start the charity in the first place. I assume that Harry and William are both surrounded by people who are either yes-men or advantage-takers and unfortunately Harry went to them. Just my two cents though.

      • LadySlippers says:

        •Lisa Danielle•

        You are correct.

        Charles put in strict rules that neither William nor Harry could start their own charity until they either A) finished college or B) completed a stint in the military. Basically, he didn’t want it started on a childish whim and wanted them both to have a little experience under their belt.

        Harry, however, had other plans. He was insistent and adamant that starting a charity to help the people of Lesotho was necessary. Charles, according to aides, still resisted but was immediately impressed with Harry’s passion. And Harry was finally able to win his father over. The rest, as they say, is history.

    • Sixer says:

      Oh, you and your common sense, notasugarhere. Pfft!

      LS: at the moment, I’m doing VERY boring work. Commenting on here is certainly more fun.

    • FLORC says:

      Sixer
      Google translate and searching “word” meaning is my new rosetta stone. Now, full translations for these articles is amazing! And apppreciated 🙂

  4. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I think it’s wonderful to rescue a dog from a shelter, and have done so twice. I’ve also gotten pure bred dogs from a responsible breeder. Both were wonderful. I don’t like this self-righteous attitude about it that is prevalent these days. If you want a healthy dog from a specific breed, I see nothing wrong with getting one from breeder. You are taking a chance with a shelter dog, health wise and personality-wise, and everyone isn’t up for that. The problem is puppy mills and any dumb jerk who wants to can breed animals. The laws should be much stricter.

    • LadySlippers says:

      •Dahling•

      *recoils in horror*

      You get…animals from the —– pound?!??

      *recognition dawns*

      It was at that dreadful party a few years back, put on by the horrid Mr & Mrs Nouveau Riche, wasn’t it?

      They were, er are, sort of nice…animals….yes?

      (Did I tolerate them Dahling???)

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Oh, yes, it was one of those hideous parties where one is pressured to be kind and *shudder* nor-mal. Such a bore, but the dogs were quite sweet. You tolerated them after I took them to Jacques and had their fur blown out in a more stylish way. In fact, you petted one after a few mimosas, though you demanded a little hand bath of germicide, pesticide and La Mer and a Valium immediately afterwards.

    • Someonestolemyname1 says:

      Several of the UK Royal journos is saying the story is false.
      The same story was said to be written about Cressida last year or so, one journo said.

      I don’t believe the story at all. I think it’s trying to make a good news story about Kate and connecting her to Harry who is more popular than both Cambridges W/K.

      JMO

      • LadySlippers says:

        •Someonestolemyname•

        Pure propaganda.

        It’s too sweet, it’s too bland, it’s not balanced, and comes with anonymous sources rather named ones. Anything that comes wrapped in gallons of cotton candy, like ‘Kate’s getting Harry a puppy to relieve loneliness’, immediately invites questions of validity.

    • FLORC says:

      GoodNames
      So true. It’s sad the breeding issues going on. And I grew up with shelter dogs. In my experience they were the best. They were tough and not trusting because of abuse, but then they became so loyal and loving. Just amazing dogs.

  5. Des says:

    65% is actually a pretty good rate for a charity. 75% would make it comparable to the most effective ones.

    • LadySlippers says:

      •Des•

      Overhead kills a great many non-for profits. And you’re spot on, he’s not doing that bad since he was able to right the boat and my guess is he is probably hoping to get into the higher, effective % range.

    • Wren33 says:

      My non-profit is about 90%, but my boss is a total cheapskate. I am not surprised that a larger chunk goes towards administrative expenses in the first year because you have to hire staff and open offices before you can actually disperse money. Also, since we work on research and policy instead of charity, most of the staff does programmatic work, and I can imagine that if only the money disbursed to Lesotho is counting towards that 65%, you can’t count the money it takes to find the kids, make sure it is being used effectively, etc. Anyway, what overhead means can vary by a lot.

      • LadySlippers says:

        •Wren33•

        Thanks for this.

        I totally forgot that charities have an enormous amount of overhead in the beginning because there is so much legwork involved. I think (IIRC) most charities I volunteered for ran in the 50-70% range of donations going directly to the targeted population with the remainder for overhead.

        Again, a much needed reminder.

      • FLORC says:

        It’s a lesson to all. Research your charities.

    • notasugarhere says:

      Thanks for the reminder. I attended a training recently on things like kickstarter. One of the biggest problems in getting non-profits off the ground is that start-up costs (administrative costs) aren’t appealing to donors. Ex. “Please help me buy a used desk from the thrift store for our office”.

      Office space, hiring staff, building a website, hosting the website, ad campaigns. All of those things happen in the first couple of years so that’s where the money goes. Once that is established, then a much higher percentage of incoming revenue goes to the hands-on work not the rent.

  6. scout says:

    He seems to LOVE dogs. Good for his sis in law to get him a puppy. Better to look for one in shelter first.

  7. Hissyfit says:

    Photos of him with the puppies are so cute! Even with his past scandalous reputation, I still think he’d make a better king than William. He seems more responsible and mature when it comes to royal work.

  8. Vava says:

    I think it’s better for a person to pick out their own pet rather than have it gifted to them. Particularly if they are an adult. I can see why parents select a pet for a child, but we ran into trouble years ago when an extended family member got a kitten for my husband and it wasn’t the type of cat he wanted.

  9. Cricket says:

    Maybe his comment about charity was a hit back at Geldof? Did anyone see Geldof try to guilt bash Adele for not participating in the new band aid song? I was watching a documentary on YouTube just yesterday about the whole live aid concert and how ‘no one says no to Bob’ is what made it happen. I’m wondering if Geldof tried to get Harry in on his band aid part deux and threw guilt at him surrounding his mum and how she was at original live aid concert. Just a thought… Will and Harry seem to both have a hard line in the sand when it comes to anything surrounding their mum.

    • LadySlippers says:

      •Cricket•

      I don’t think his comment was at any specific person or organisation because a lot of charities die because of egos. Hell, the military is almost ALL about ego. So ego can impede quite a lot of things. My opinion though.

      • Cricket says:

        Agreed! I was just trying to point out there are other charity egos in the news and I don’t think we will ever see a Harry/Will shade publicly.

      • LadySlippers says:

        •Cricket•

        I agree there. William and Harry, regardless of each of their faults, has each other’s back. Period/Full Stop.

        Also, as •wrong• pointed out, charities do all kinds of things to raise money. And both William and Harry (as do other high profile people) participate.

      • FLORC says:

        They absolutely support eachother. Remember the sandbagging video? William wasn’t too kind, but when the guy got a snippy Harry backed up his brother.

  10. Azurea says:

    Um, the guy is 30, not 8. Can’t he get himself his own dang dog?

    • LadySlippers says:

      •Azurea•

      This is probably nothing more than Team Cambridge trying to recover from the ‘dress code for the media’ issue. My guess is while Harry would like a dog, he probably hasn’t gotten one for a reason.

      • Someonestolemyname1 says:

        Yup.
        Several Journos are saying the whole story is fake and just a rewrite of a story written about Cressida which turned out false too.

        I don’t believe it at all.

  11. bluhare says:

    Harry has said he wants a dog, and I don’t see anything wrong with William and Kate getting him one although I’m not a fan of people getting animals as gifts. But this gift appears to be genuinely wanted as Harry has said before he wants a dog. Apparently he wants a hunting dog as that place they’re looking at breeds gun dogs. I agree that a nice little rescue mutt needs to live in a palace one day, and I hope they get one.

    But that photo of Harry with the puppy . . . it’s one of my all time favorites.

    • Lisa Danielle says:

      Camilla’s got a few rescue Jack Russells already living in Clarence House/Highgrove, at least!

      • bluhare says:

        There’s a rescued-from-the-pound Jack Russell who’s been living at my house for 13 years now. LIttle devil won’t leave! 🙂

    • LadySlippers says:

      •bluhare•

      You are just a softie at heart aren’t you? 😃 All puppies and romance you.

      • wolfpup says:

        LS: bluhare really is a softie, never be fooled. I’ll won’t forget when she let on about the darling, comic faces that she makes at babies in the grocer’s queue. (Loong time ago, bluhare on DK).

      • bluhare says:

        SSSSHHHHHHHHHH!!!

      • LadySlippers says:

        *whispers to •bluhare*•

        Life is boring and I needed something diverting to talk about. Can’t we just get out the Wiglet Wagon and go for a spin????

    • Vava says:

      I think Harry should get his own dog. William and Kate should tend to their own business, IMO. When it comes to pets, it’s a personal decision and extended family should be supportive, but not involved in the actual process…

  12. Lisa Danielle says:

    Also, speaking of shade thrown William’s way, did anyone else hear that the Queen gave a speech where she warned people to be worried more about diseases like Malaria than Ebola, right after Willy’s message about Ebola went out? I’m pretty sure the Queen wasn’t actually being shady towards Will but it’s funny to think about.

    • LadySlippers says:

      •Lisa Danielle•

      I hadn’t connected the two speeches. Lol That is kinda funny.

      Speaking of shade, Kate got an awful lot of shade for her fashion misstep at the KP dinner. Like WOW kinda shade! I was a bit shocked as I didn’t mind the KP concoction, as opposed to that blue dress she wore a week earlier. Bluck.

  13. HoustonGrl says:

    I have never seen Kate look at William the way she does Harry, with this adoring, loving glow (BUT can’t say I blame the gal!).

    • Vava says:

      Kate seems sort of insecure, IMO. Can’t shade her for that, she’s married to William, after all. Harry would be MUCH MORE FUN to hang out with.

  14. The Original Mia says:

    First she was cooking him Beef Wellington for his birthday. Then she was giving Cressida advice on how to be a duchess. Now, she’s gifting him with a puppy. Can we just stop? Harry doesn’t need Kate to get him food, girls or a dog. Think he’s more than capable of doing those things and…going about his duties.

    • Someonestolemyname1 says:

      Harry’s popular with the public, so the press is probably hoping, beefing up stories about Kate, even if false helps her image, but it NEVER does, IMO It has the opposite effect. People roll their eyes as these Kate stories.

  15. wolfpup says:

    In my opinion, Americans are not so offended by Harry’s antic’s in Vegas. We’ve all been naughty(?), and he was so fortunate to *really* have a good time. I bet that Charles would have loved it if he had had the same opportunity. No, it wasn’t nice, but so what? – really nothing to live down after all. Poor Harry, he must have really been chewed out at home. Even so, he appears much more of a gentleman compared to William who seems stuffy, high flown and immensely selfish.

    The biggest problem in offending the press with a dress code is that it is kind of an affront to all Americans.

  16. MinnFinn says:

    Kate has way too much going on to take care of Harry’s new puppy. She now oversees two households. (The Cambridges moved into Amner hall last week.) Plus there will be 10 days in February where she can’t watch the dog because she’ll be in Mustique. Also she’s in Switzerland for their annual ski trip another 5 days in March. Plus since she likes to start maternity leave 2 months before she’s due, she can’t be looking after a dog early spring either.

  17. RobN says:

    I’ve got a 12 week old yellow lab puppy. Sure would be nice to have the hired help taking her out to pee every 20 minutes. I’d be pretty surprised if the royal pup doesn’t head off to a trainer for a month or two before it shows up at the palace, house trained and past the puppy biting stage.

  18. Mrs.Krabapple says:

    Puppies should not be given as gifts. If someone wants a dog, they should get one when the time is right for them. At least this article says Harry will pick out his own dog, which is an improvement on people buying (selecting) a puppy for someone else. But still, puppies as gifts (to adults) are wrong. If the person doesn’t have enough motivation to get a dog on their own, they shouldn’t be getting the dog at all.

    • hmmm says:

      Agreed! If Harry really wanted a dog that badly, Harry would already have gotten himself one. He’s not a little boy crying for a puppy. Sheesh.

    • Vava says:

      Completely agree, Mrs. Krabapple.

      Kudos to you on your screen name too. <3

  19. wow says:

    I hate to bring this up and derail the topic but why does Kate keep beaming up around Harry. It’s like she jst can’t help it. Eventhough I think he has a lovely smike, Its really odd that she keeps directing it towards Harry instead of her own husband. I like Kate as of late but I’m starting to feel like she may be playing up to the rumors about her crushing on Harry. Because outside of her clothing, the Harry thing is the ony thing interesting about her for the public.

  20. may23 says:

    I thought he said he wrapped the party idea because Kate was feeling so sick? His party wasn’t “crappy” it just never happened 🙂

  21. notasugarhere says:

    Click Bait. Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale and Margaret Thatcher top list of women who have changed the world

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2847232/Marie-Curie-Florence-Nightingale-Margaret-Thatcher-list-women-changed-world.html

    Kate Middleton comes in at # 36 of 40. This “definitive list” is the result of polling 2,000 British adults. “The research was commissioned to mark the return of Sky Arts’ hit comedy series Psychobitches, the satirical show which playfully delves into the minds of some of history’s most influential and iconic women.”

  22. FLORC says:

    I agree with pretty much everyone. Pets are not gifts. Unless Harry goes to the place and picks one out. Sometimes things just don’t click.

    And Vava you lucky B….! That display looks stunning!

    • Vava says:

      LOL…..I am lucky! My best friend lives there and I’m going to help her celebrate her birthday. It’s going to be fun. I wish I had a tiara to wear! LOLOLOL