Queen Camilla Bonds With An Unexpected Relative ― and Kate Would Be Thrilled
Queen Camilla and an extended family member share a warm greeting at Clarence House as they champion the extraordinary power of medical alert dogs
Following a glitzy evening at the Royal Albert Hall celebrating 50 years of The King’s Trust last night, Queen Camilla appeared energized on May 12 for a reception at Clarence House in aid of Medical Detection Dogs. While she is typically accompanied by other senior royals for such events, this engagement featured a notable appearance from the extended family. Throughout the afternoon, the Queen was seen bonding with Princess Catherine's brother James Middleton, sharing their common passion for the charity's four-legged heroes.
The Queen Consort ditched the shiny jewellery and lace gown of the previous evening for a chic, red floral dress. During the reception, she was seen warmly greeting James, who had opted for a classic dark blazer for the occasion. The pair shared a brief hug and a customary kiss on the cheek before turning their attention to the event's honorees. While the Royal Family’s love for dogs is well-documented, James, too, is a fellow enthusiast whose passion for canine welfare is central to his professional life, evidenced by the fact that he owns a dog food brand, James & Ella.
Camilla, on the other hand, serves as the dedicated patron of the Medical Detection Dogs, which works towards training life-saving Medical Alert Assistance Dogs and Bio Detection Dogs to identify the subtle chemical signatures of human disease. The organization’s impact is backed by significant research, and according to HELLO!, a study co-authored by the charity found that these "dogs can detect multiple cancers in breath samples with over 90 per cent accuracy." Following closely, James attended the reception in his official capacity as the charity's brand ambassador. Although his sister, the Princess of Wales herself, is a proud dog mom, she was notably missing from the event.
As the Queen mingled with guests, she took a moment to personally greet the four-legged honorees. Both she and King Charles have two adorable Jack Russell Terriers, Moley and Bluebell, at home. The royal couple had adopted the two in 2017 from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London. “They found (Bluebell) two or three weeks later wandering about in woods, no hair on her, 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,” Camilla had said in a past interview.
This personal history with animal recovery clearly fuels her commitment to organizations like Medical Detection Dogs, where the bond between humans and canines is not just comforting, but life-saving. Camilla and Charles’ choice of breed marks a striking deviation from the late Queen Elizabeth’s favourite corgis, who for decades served as a living signature of the monarch’s brand.
While the Queen later departed to host the season's third Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, James Middleton’s schedule remains focused on his four-legged counterparts. Later this month, James will be making another pet-related public appearance at Goodwoof, the Duke of Richmond’s pet festival fondly called the ‘Glastonbury for dogs’. He has been attending the festival since its establishment in 2022. This year, he will be joined by his own dogs, his spaniels - Zulu, Inka, Nala and Luna, as well as his labradors, Mabel and Isla.
