Princess Kate’s brother James Middleton and his wife Alizee Thevenet share a love of dogs with the late Queen Elizabeth II.

A few weeks ago one of their pet dogs, a golden retriever named Mabel, happily welcomed a litter of puppies. To honour the monarch’s incredible life and reign, James decided to name one of them in her honour: he called the young pup Bertie, which was the Queen’s father’s nickname (christened Albert, he later became known as King George VI). The Queen was famously close to her dad until the time of his death in 1952.

“In light of recent events, I wanted a name that is a touching tribute to the late Queen,” James told Hello! in a recent interview.

James has given Bertie to the Guide Dogs organisation, where he will be trained up to help a person with sight loss in the future.

“It was incredible that the Queen dedicated her life to service, and in many ways Bertie the dog will be dedicating his life to service too,” James added.

As brother-in-law to the future King, Prince William, James is linked to the Royal Family but isn’t technically a part of it — so his relationship with the Queen wasn’t a close one. Still, he has an immense amount of respect for her, which was put into perspective when she died.

“I was extremely moved by the events on Monday [19 September], which I’m still taken aback by,” he said.

“It is extraordinary to see how many people’s lives Her Majesty touched, not just in our country, but in the Commonwealth and around the world. My eyes have been opened even wider to that.”

James and Alizee got married in the summer of 2021, and spend lots of time in the countryside surrounded by their dogs. James even created a healthy dog food company called Ella & Co.

Now that’s dedication.

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