We absolutely adore Princess Diana, we really do, but this story is a tough one to swallow. In fact, this revelation about the late Princess of Wales broke our hearts a little, and we’re still processing the news that came to light when a 40-year-old letter written by King Charles was recently auctioned off by Chiswick Auctions in London for £656 ($880).
But let’s start from the beginning. Diana and Charles seemed like the perfect couple on paper, but as we now know, they were a mismatch from Day One. Even before they tied the knot on July 29, 1981, they were having problems. That being said, they really tried to make it work, and Charles made a huge sacrifice for Diana—and, if you ask us, quite a drastic one. He gave up one of his absolute favorite companions, a yellow Labrador retriever named Harvey, because Diana wasn’t a fan. (We know.)
Read on to find out what happened—and whether Diana ever embarked on a puppy-redemption arc.
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Was Princess Diana a dog person?
Apparently not! Diana grew up at Park House, Sandringham, and later Althorp in Northamptonshire, in the English Midlands, surrounded by animals, but dogs weren’t her favorites. Instead, the late Princess of Wales adored horses. As a 14-year-old, she fell in love with her pony Scuffle. Later, she took riding lessons and could often be spotted supporting Prince Charles at polo matches and cheering on the riders at the Royal Ascot races.
Diana also had a favorite childhood cat named Marmalade, who made an appearance in a family portrait by Polish artist Aniela Pawlikowska. And while we don’t want to get too morbid, the island in the middle of the Oval Lake at Althorp, where Diana was buried after her tragic car accident, was a former cemetery for family pets, including Marmalade.
Why didn’t Diana like Harvey?
According to royal insiders, the Princess of Wales thought Charles’s beloved dog was “smelly.” The Lab had come into Charles’s life in the late 1970s, before Diana herself, and had frequently accompanied him on fishing trips. However, three years into their marriage, Diana reportedly insisted that Harvey should leave the royal household.
Considering how much of a dog person Charles is—he welcomed his latest puppy, Snuff, an adorable Lagotto Romagnolo, in 2025—we can’t imagine how heartbroken he must have been to say goodbye to his buddy. In the letter that has now become public, he described Harvey as “a splendid character” that made him “laugh so much by his dotty antics.”
What happened to Harvey?
When Diana insisted on getting rid of Harvey, Charles made sure he went to the best possible new home. In 1984, he gave Harvey to Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Creasy, the comptroller of the Prince and Princess of Wales at the time, and his wife.
Sadly, the dog had to be put to sleep in December 1987. Mourning his “loyal old friend,” Charles said in the letter that Creasy was “absolutely right to take the decision … although it is always a desperate one to have to take.” He then added that he was “so pleased” Harvey’s new family “loved him so much” and thanked his employee for his “great kindness in agreeing to look after him and for giving him such a happy retirement away from those damp kennels.”
Did this cause tension between the couple?
Well, nobody has (yet) spilled the beans about whether the Harvey situation caused another rift between the already-troubled pair, but we think it’s safe to say that Charles wasn’t thrilled about giving away his beloved dog. After all, he was (and still is) a huge dog lover. But as we know, the royals tend to keep their disagreements behind closed doors whenever possible, so we may never know what actually happened before Charles gave in.
Did Diana ever come around and become a dog person?
Surprisingly, yes! Diana and Charles later welcomed two Jack Russell terriers, Tigger and Roo, to the family. And, according to Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell, both William and Harry were “eager to play” with them as kids. Burrell also revealed that Diana remained a dog person even after her divorce from Charles. She reportedly planned to buy a golden Lab in the summer of 1997, but sadly, this never happened, and then she died on Aug. 31 of that year.
Does Charles have dogs now?
Yes, Charles and Camilla are huge dog lovers, just like Queen Elizabeth II (remember her famous corgis?) and currently have three of them. Camilla, a longtime ambassador and patron of the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London, adopted two Jack Russells from the organization in 2017—Bluebell and Beth, who were famously featured on Camilla’s coronation gown.
Sadly, Beth passed away in November 2024, but Camilla adopted a mixed breed named Moley from the same rescue in November 2025. And then there’s Snuff, Charles’s first dog in more than 20 years, who joined the family in 2025 as well. Unlike the others, the pup was a private gift, not a rescue dog. The king was reportedly “besotted” with the Lagotto Romagnolo, and they both share a love for mushroom foraging. It sounds like true (puppy) love!
Sources:
- Telegraph: “King mourns ‘loyal old’ Labrador in 40-year-old letter”
- The Standard: “Beth and Bluebell are the new dogs of Buckingham Palace”
- Vogue Australia: “Princess Diana’s childhood home is opening to the public”
- Chicago Tribune: “Isle where Diana is buried was family’s pet cemetery”
- Town & Country: “Photos of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and more royal family members hanging out with horses”
- Metro: “King Charles gets first new dog in 20 years – and they have ‘a lot in common'”
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