Prince William, Duchess Kate mourn death of dog Lupo, who was 'at the heart of our family'

Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY
·2 min read
A photo released by Kensington Palace on Aug. 19, 2013, shows Prince William and Duchess Kate with their newborn baby boy, Prince George; Tilly the retriever (left), a Middleton family pet; and Lupo, the couple's cocker spaniel, at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
A photo released by Kensington Palace on Aug. 19, 2013, shows Prince William and Duchess Kate with their newborn baby boy, Prince George; Tilly the retriever (left), a Middleton family pet; and Lupo, the couple's cocker spaniel, at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

Prince William and Duchess Kate are mourning the loss of their "dear dog" Lupo, who died last weekend.

"He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much," read a statement signed "W&C" and posted Sunday on the official Kensington Royal social media accounts.

Lupo, a black English cocker spaniel, was a member of the royal family before any of the couple's children: They adopted him in 2012, more than a year before welcoming first-born Prince George, now 7. Will and Kate also share Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2.

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Kate's brother, James Middleton, also mourned Lupo, whose mother, Ella, is his family's pet.

"There isn’t much of a rule book on how to grieve for a dog, but I’ve said a prayer, lit a candle and taken Ella (Mum) for a long walk to spend time remembering Lupo," he wrote on Instagram. "You will always be remembered."

Lupo appeared in the first official portraits released of baby George back in 2013, taken by Kate's father, Michael Middleton, in the garden of the Middletons' home. A sleeping George is shown being held by his mother next to his father, flanked by Lupo and the Middleton family dog, Tilly.

A photo released on July 22, 2016, by Prince William and Duchess Kate shows Prince George with Lupo at Sandringham in Norfolk.
A photo released on July 22, 2016, by Prince William and Duchess Kate shows Prince George with Lupo at Sandringham in Norfolk.

After months of speculation about a new royal pet, Duchess Kate let slip in early 2012 that they had adopted a puppy named Lupo while visiting a primary school in Oxford.

The pup would go on to star in a series of British children's books unaffiliated with the royal family. "Lupo: The Adventures of a Royal Dog" featured a heroic Lupo facing off against Queen Elizabeth II's villainous corgis. The first book, "Lupo and the Secret of Windsor Castle," was published in the U.K. in September 2014.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Duchess Kate, Prince William mourn death of family dog, Lupo