The British royals are known to be a family of dog lovers, from Queen Camilla’s rescue Jack Russell terriers that she had immortalized through embroidery on her coronation gown to
grew up with a number of family dogs, including ‘ Jack Russell terriers, Tigga and Pooh, named after characters in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh series.
Now, Harry takes care of three dogs: Two rescue beagles, , as well as a black Labrador whom the prince described to readers in his hit 2023 memoir, .
Here, Regalrumination.com looks at everything Harry has said publicly about the “gorgeous” Lab puppy he and Meghan acquired during the most turbulent time of their lives.
![Prince Harry and Pula the Labrador](https://i0.wp.com/regalrumination.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/prince-harry-pula-labrador.png?resize=1200%2C800)
Hannah McKay – WPA Pool / Gettyimages/MEGA/GC Images
‘Gorgeous Amber-Eyed Female’
In his record-breaking memoir, Spare, Harry told readers that in March 2018, during their engagement, he and added a puppy to their developing family.
The couple already had Guy, the beagle that Meghan had rescued during her time as an actress. She had moved to Britain with the dog when her
The new puppy had come to them via a “friend in Norfolk,” Harry wrote, and was a “gorgeous amber-eyed female.”
Prince Harry in Spare
“Meg and I were already a growing family. We brought home a new puppy—a sibling for little Guy. He’d been needing one, poor thing. So when a friend in Norfolk told me his black Labrador had a litter, and offered me a gorgeous amber-eyed female, I couldn’t say no.”
Pula
When it came to naming the puppy, Harry told readers that he and Meghan had settled on Pula, which means “rain” and “good fortune” in Setswana, the language spoken in Botswana, where the couple had spent an important vacation at the beginning of their relationship.
Prince Harry in Spare
“Meg and I named her Pula. The Setswana word for rain. And good fortune. Many mornings I’d wake to find myself surrounded by beings I loved, who loved me, and depended on me, and I thought I simply had no right to this much good fortune. Work challenges aside, this was happiness. Life was good.”
Wedding Witness
Pula was present for many of Harry and Meghan’s milestones during their time as working royals in Britain, including their wedding.
In March 2021, Meghan told that before the couple’s , she and Harry had exchanged vows in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury in a small outdoor ceremony.
The , with the archbishop clarifying that it was not a marriage ceremony. But Harry revealed in his memoir that the earlier ceremony meant a lot to the couple and that Pula was present.
“A small ceremony, just the two of us, Guy and Pula the only witnesses,” Harry wrote. “Unofficial, non-binding, except in our souls.”
Prince Harry in Spare
“The archbishop reached the official part, spoke the few words that made us The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, titles bestowed by Granny, and he joined us until death parted us, though he’d already done similar days earlier, in our garden, a small ceremony, just the two of us, Guy and Pula the only witnesses. Unofficial, non-binding, except in our souls. We were grateful for every person in and around St. George’s, and watching on TV, but our love began in private, and being public had been mostly pain, so we wanted the first consecration of our love, the first vows, to be private as well. Magical as the formal ceremony was, we’d both come to feel slightly frightened of…crowds.”
‘Five Souls’
Pula and Guy came to Canada with Harry and Meghan when they. Soon after, the couple’s dogs moved again with them to their home in Montecito, California.
In the years since the move, the dogs have been referenced in the couple’s post-royal projects.
In January 2023, Harry was photographed walking Pula in the days before his memoir was published.
Later that year, he spoke about being a “father of two and three dogs” during a charity
“Basically five souls,” the prince said of his family. “I’m acutely aware of the many joys and challenges that come with parenting, and that’s with kids who aren’t facing health challenges.”
He then paid tribute to the “level of support and responsibility” among those gathered at the event.
Prince Harry, Speech at the WellChild Awards, September 2023
“As a father of two and three dogs—so basically five souls—I’m acutely aware of the many joys and challenges that come with parenting, and that’s with kids who aren’t facing health challenges.
“So, to the parent carers in this room, you have my sincerest admiration and respect. The level of support and responsibility you shared daily is unrivaled and, without fail, you deserve all the assistance that you need.”
William Brown is Regalrumination.com‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly ) at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com‘s
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