Buckingham Palace has released a new photograph of Queen Camilla posing with her recently-adopted dog, Moley.
The young Jack Russell Terrier cross was adopted by Her Majesty from the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London earlier this year, following the death of her beloved dog Beth in November.
The photograph was released after Her Majesty officially opened a new dog-friendly garden at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in south London.
The garden, originally seen at Chelsea Flower Show, features a lush lawn, dog-safe shrubs and trees, and even a small pond where one enthusiastic canine was seen joyfully splashing about during the Queen’s visit.
Camilla, who has long been a supporter of animal welfare and has adopted three rescue dogs from Battersea, was delighted by the space stating that she felt as thought she has watched it grow, noting that she had followed the garden’s development from its initial planning stages, to Chelsea, and now to Battersea. “It’s going to be so wonderful for all the dogs to roam around.”
The Queen’s love for dogs was evident as she greeted some of Battersea’s more cuddly residents, including seven-week-old Dipsy, whom she gently tickled behind the ear. But it was a tiny Jack Russell cross puppy who truly stole the show.
Upon hearing from Battersea’s Behaviour Manager, Nake Florin, that the puppy had already been adopted by a staff member, Camilla laughed and exclaimed, “I’d have taken him!”.
Among those joining the celebration were several well-known celebrity supporters of the charity: TV presenter Amanda Holden, comedian Sue Perkins, model David Gandy, and author Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Amanda Holden, a Battersea ambassador for over a decade, later shared how she made the Queen laugh with a story about her rescue dog Mini. “My husband said, ‘Why can’t you be more like that?'” she joked, describing the dog’s habit of rolling over for belly rubs. “She’s just one of those people that’s genuinely nuts about dogs,” Holden added of the Queen.
Monty Don, speaking about the transformation of the garden, emphasised that the move from Chelsea was not just a relocation but a reimagining. “It wasn’t about plonking down a Chelsea garden,” he said.
“Chelsea was just a stage of the journey. We adapted it to work for the dogs here. We wanted them to run and leap and jump and roll and sniff. At Chelsea, it was too precious for that.”
