While many parents-to-be run themselves ragged trying to come up with the perfect name for their newborn, there's extra pressure when you're naming the future king. When William, Prince of Wales and his wife Kate were struggling to decide on a name for their firstborn, they came up with an unconventional solution.
According to the Times, the royal couple enlisted the help of their dog, Lupo, who passed away two years ago, to pick out their son's name from a list of possible contenders. The couple reportedly wrote all the possible names on scraps of paper and put them on the floor of their home.
They then let the English cocker spaniel in to see which piece of paper he went over to - and he picked George.
William and Kate welcomed Lupo into their home in 2012 - and he appeared in many of the family's official photos before he passed away.
Announcing the sad news on social media, they wrote in2020: "Very sadly our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much."
After saying their goodbyes to Lupo, the royal couple welcomed a new cocker spaniel puppy into their lives.
Adopted from Kate's brother, James Middleton, the dog, named Orla, has been growing up alongside their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
But it was during a walkabout following Queen Elizabeth II's death when Prince William revealed how much he relies on his pet for emotional support.
When speaking to a well wisher, he said his dog, Orla, has been helping him cope with his grief after loosing his beloved grandmother.
He reminded the crowd about how important dogs are during dark times.
In a TikTok video uploaded by dog owner Rach Cot, Prince William said: "I give my dog a lot of cuddles at the moment. I've got a spaniel called Orla. She's very sweet."
Prince William and Harry looked incredibly sombre when walking behind the Queen's coffin at her state funeral yesterday.
Many mourners took to Twitter to share their heartbreak over seeing the royal brothers in such emotional pain.
One user said: "Sobbing my eyes out. Not so much that the Queen has passed away. I loved her, but she was 96 and had such a wonderful life. But at William and Harry, who are having to do this all over again. It must be so triggering."
Another user added: "Their mum would be so proud of them. Little George is the image of his dad. Hopefully this will be the last bit of sadness in this little boy's life for a while."
A third user said: "This all just brings me back to Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. Those boys have the exact same look on their faces. I feel for them so much."
You can now buy Friday's historic Daily Mirror commemorating the death of the Queen here: mirror.co.uk/commemorative
