Dog Duty or Royal Dodge? Prince William Finds Clever Out From Kate Middleton Family Gatherings

Prince William likes to walk James Middleton's dog, Ella, instead of playing "fiercely competitive" games with the Middleton clan while off duty.

"I know, too, that Ella gave him a good excuse to escape the fiercely competitive nature of the Middleton family, which emerged every time we played our favorite fast-paced card game, Racing Demon," James wrote in his book, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life.

This insight led royal author Christopher Andersen to share, "William and Kate's card games are so heated and all-consuming that William makes excuses to avoid being sucked in. But away from his win-at-all-costs Middleton in-laws, William has never shied away from going up against Kate in a contest."

James further added how the Prince of Wales is perfectly okay to be a "loser" when it comes to the aggressive card battles.

"William would flinch at our ruthless determination to win at all costs," he wrote. "He'd be delighted to be the first out, and when no longer compelled to take part, he’d slink off to cuddle Ella. Better still, he'd absent himself from the game entirely."

The future king is known to be a lifelong dog lover, which is a trait he shared with both of his late grandmothers, Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales' mother, Frances Shand-Kydd.

James highlighted this passion by sharing how the next king would say, "'James, does Ella need a walk?' he’d ask before we’d even started dealing the cards. My sisters and I would exchange a knowing glance: William, for all the competitive rigor of his military training, was happy to be a loser at cards."

His Royal Highness spent a large chunk of his childhood and adolescence with a dog but was said to find the eventual passing of one "too much to bear" until Kate convinced him to take in Lupo in 2011.

In 2020, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed a new cocker spaniel into their home after Lupo's death that year. The new dog was reportedly bred by James and is known to be part of their family. The fluffy friend of the Wales family is named Orla, and she has been seen accompanying the family on various occasions.

The Princess of Wales' brother further revealed, "It helped of course that William was so genuinely fond of Ella. When he first encountered her as a tiny puppy at Bucklebury, he was smitten. He’d had a black Labrador, Widgeon, as a boy, and when Widgeon died, he left an empty space. I felt William was pining for a dog when Ella was around."

The author also shared how he flew to the British royal family's wintertime estate, Sandringham, in Norfolk, one January for Princess Kate's birthday party. Pippa Middleton, 41, accompanied James on the overnight flight from France, and despite having met the monarch a few times previously, he wrote how he was more anxious than usual meeting Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at her private home.

Daily Mirror reported on Andersen's remarks.