A beloved meerkat named after Prince William by staff at St Andrews Aquarium has sadly been put to sleep due to ‘age related health issues’. Alpha male Wills arrived at the popular visitor attraction in 2011 with his partner Kate - with the duo named after the royal couple who met in the Fife town while studying at university.
The animals went on to have three litters of babies over the last 12 years with Wills retaining his spot as leader of the mob. But aquarium staff have now sadly announced his passing on Sunday and urged members of the public to share their pictures of the adorable critter taken over the years.
In a statement, they said: “We are sad to announce that this week we said goodbye to one of our longest residents here at St Andrews aquarium. Wills, our alpha male meerkat arrived with us back in 2011, where him and Kate had three litters creating the fantastic mob of meerkats we have now.
“Wills was unfortunately suffering from age related health issues and after a rapid deterioration, our keeping team and vets decided our kindest option was to put Wills to sleep.
“Wills has been a character in the aquarium for the last 12 years, and his sassy personality will definitely be missed by the keeping team. The remainder of the group are being monitored by the keeping team and are coping well.
“Feel free to share any photos you have of Wills and his mob with us.”
An alternative ‘royal wedding’ was held at the aquarium in April 2011 as the nation prepared to watch the real Kate Middleton tie the knot with Prince William.
The furry couple also pipped their famous namesakes to the post of producing an ‘heir’ when meerkat Kate gave birth to a cuddly baby on March 2 that year.
Kate graduated from the University of St Andrews with a 2:1 in History of Art in June 2005 while Prince William earned himself a 2:1 geography degree.
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