The Duchess of Edinburgh was back on royal duty the day after her 60th birthday, cuddling a mischievous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy called Lord Louis of Spudringham.
Sophie took the nine-week-old dog in her arms, with the playful animal licking her neck and biting one of the duchess’s gold drop earrings.
The duchess was visiting Dogs for Autism in Alton, Hampshire, on Tuesday, the first charity exclusively providing autism assistance dogs at no charge to autistic people of any age.
The puppy was named by a volunteer “puppy parent” after the King’s grandson, Prince Louis, with a nod to Charles’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Laura McCreadie, of Dogs for Autism, said: “Louis was inspired by Prince Louis because he’s such a playful puppy, and Spudringham because he’s like a little spud as he’s so tiny and it’s a take on Sandringham.
“The duchess wanted to take him home with her. She was completely besotted and didn’t want to let him go.”
Lord Louis was placed with his puppy parent just over a week ago and will be trained over the next two years, ready for his placement.
The duchess also met trainee assistance dogs Buddy, Jack and Finn, who demonstrated their skills.
Buddy, who regularly appears on ITV’s This Morning, was joined by the show’s resident vet, Dr Scott Miller, who is the charity’s ambassador.
The assistance dogs are trained to mitigate some of the disabling impacts of autism and can help by increasing independence, reducing anxiety and sensory overload, and alerting to emotional dysregulation.
It takes around two years to prepare each animal, and the charity has 15 dogs in various stages of training.
Sophie has three dogs of her own – a Cocker Spaniel called Mole, and two black Labradors, Teal and Teasel.
She celebrated her milestone birthday on Monday at home with the Duke of Edinburgh with a day off from engagements.
