Prince William admits he's giving his dog 'a lot of cuddles at the moment'

vt-author-image

By Carina Murphy

Article saved!Article saved!

The new Prince of Wales has admitted that he's been finding comfort in his four-legged friend in the wake of his grandmother's death.

In a viral TikTok video, Prince William discussed his dog Orla with Royal fans while playing with an Italian greyhound outside Windsor Castle.

The clip - which was taken last Saturday (September 10) - begins with the Prince and his brother, Prince Harry, greeting well-wishers.

As he shakes hands with mourners outside the castle, the Prince comments on how many people have come out to see him, saying: "It’s a sea of hands! I’ll try and reach everyone in the back."

Despite trying to get to everyone, Prince William can't help but linger a little longer than usual on one crowd member - a sweet Italian greyhound named Luna.

"Aw, look. Who’s this?" he asks as he stops to pet the dog. Someone off-camera replied that her name is "Luna", to which the Prince says: "Hello, Luna. You’re very sweet, Luna."

While he lets the dog sniff his hand, the Royal reveals that his own pooch, Orla, has been helping him through his grief, ever since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8.

"Dogs at this time are so important," he says, adding: "I give my dog a lot of cuddles at the moment. I’ve got a little spaniel called Orla. She’s very sweet."

wp-image-1263169559 size-full
Prince William playing with a dog in 2009. Credit: PA Images / Alamy

The video ended with well-wishers expressing their condolences for the prince. "Thank you very much, I appreciate it. Nice to meet you guys. Thank you for coming along today," he told them.

"Luna dog meeting Prince William. Dogs bring so much comfort during the darkest of times. I hope her sweet face brought some joy to his sorrow," Luna's owner - TikToker @rachcot - captioned the video, which has racked up over 4.1 million views.

wp-image-1263169563 size-full
Mark Kerrison / Alamy

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales wasn't the only royal Luna met - she was also fawned over by his brother the Duke of Sussex.

In another TikTok video, Prince Harry also stopped to pet the pooch, saying: "Hello, sweetie."

"You can smell the other dogs," he added as he scratched her chin, before asking: "What’s your name?"

The Prince gave Luna a final tap on the nose, then headed off to continue greeting crowd members.

"Luna also met Prince Harry. I hope she helped to bring him a little light during his difficult time," the second video - which has been viewed over 7.1 million times - was captioned.

Featured Image Credit: Jamie Lorriman / Alamy