Kate and Prince William got Lupo after their wedding, as a present from the Duchess’ parents. The dog’s death was announced last weekend on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s shared Instagram account, @kensingtonroyal, although they did not reveal the cause. The two wrote: “He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much.”
His death may have come as a devastating shock, as cocker spaniels usually live for 12 to 15 years.
Lupo would travel everywhere with the Cambridges, as they moved between their home in Kensington Palace and their holiday home in Norfolk, Anmer Hall.
He always brought an element of mischief and once needed the fire brigade to remove his head from the Middletons’ house gate after the naughty pet stuck his head in between the railings.
Kate and William will undoubtedly miss him this Christmas, as will their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth II holding one of her beloved dogs (Image: Getty)
Kate and William announced Lupo’s death on Instagram last month (Image: Instagram @kensingtonroyal)
However, this will not be the first festive season where the Cambridges have had to miss out on having their favourite pet there.
William’s grandmother the Queen previously prevented Lupo from joining the royal Christmas, when the couple were also bringing their five-month-old firstborn, Prince George.
A courtier explained: “The Queen made it clear that Lupo was not on the guest list.
“The Duchess is especially fond of the puppy and was sad that he could not accompany them.
“He had to sit it out at her parents’ home in Berkshire.”
Another source said Kate was particularly upset but “understood the Queen’s concerns”.
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The Queen walked her corgis devotedly — she is said to see the dogs as her family (Image: Getty)
However, Dr Roger Mugford — the Queen’s so-called ‘dog whisperer’ — explained the monarch’s thinking behind the surprise move.
He said: “Cocker spaniels are sociable by nature and good at getting along with other dogs, but the same isn’t always true of the Queen’s corgis.
“The commotion of Christmas — the large number of people, the unfamiliar faces and all the distractions — can make them unpredictable.
“Another dog coming into their territory, with all that going on, isn’t necessarily going to be welcomed by them.”
Dr Mugford has been on hand in the past when the corgis acted up and attacked Princess Beatrice’s Norfolk terrier, Max.
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The Queen has raised approximately 30 corgis during her reign (Image: Getty)
They reportedly “ganged up” on the dog during a walk in Balmoral, leaving him with serious flesh wounds.
He almost lost an ear, too, and the Queen was said to have been “very upset”.
Yet the Queen’s beloved animals have also found themselves to be the injured party on more than one occasion during spats with other dogs.
In 2003, Princess Anne’s bull terrier attacked the Queen’s elderly corgi so viciously the pet was put down the following day.
The Princess Royal’s dog later went on to attack a royal maid, leaving her with puncture wounds in a leg.
In 1989, one of the Queen Mother’s corgis, Ranger, also killed the Queen’s dorgi, Chipper.
Some reports allege Ranger led a pack of corgis to target the dorgi.
Kate and William were given Lupo as a present back in 2011 (Image: Getty)
Kate, William and Lupo with the newborn George in 2013 (Image: PA)
The Queen has even been bitten on the hand herself, when trying to break up a fight between six of her corgis and two of the Queen Mother’s.
On one occasion, she ended up needing three stitches.
Despite the furore they can sometimes bring, reports have claimed the Queen once described the corgis as “my family”.
However, it was reported in 2015 that the Queen had decided to stop her 71-year corgi dynasty after her final full-breed corgi, Willow, died in 2018.
She has two dorgis — corgis crossed with dachshunds — remaining, Vulcan and Candy.
The monarch had allegedly decided not to continue breeding them as she does not want to leave any behind when she dies.
Other reports suggest she made the surprising decision due to fears that she may trip over the small dogs and injure herself.
Similar concerns may have influenced the Queen’s apparent trepidation towards letting Lupo go to Sandringham, considering he had such a naughty streak.
Even so, there’s a possibility the monarch may have been more welcoming towards Lupo in recent years, especially as the number of corgis she owned dwindled.
The royals are famously attached to their dogs, but some commentators speculate that it is the Cambridge children who will miss their pet the most.
Abi King, author of a book based on Lupo’s life — The Adventures of a Royal Dog — told Vanity Fair: “My thoughts at this time are with Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte — I think it is them who will feel his passing the most.”
