The name of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's pet dog has finally been unveiled and it has a sweet link to Prince Harry and Meghan's first trip away together. The couple adopted a black Labrador in August 2018 and the pup's name has been revealed in new royal biography Finding Freedom. According to extracts serialised in PEOPLE magazine, Harry and Meghan's pooch is called Pula!
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WATCH: Meghan talks about rescue dog during visit to Brighton
Pula is the currency of Botswana, the south African country that Harry whisked Meghan away to on their third date in 2016. The pair returned to Botswana a year later where they assisted Dr Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders with the charity's conservation efforts. Pula also literally means "rain" in Setswana, because rain is very scarce in Botswana and is therefore seen as valuable and a blessing. Harry and Meghan certainly gave it a lot of thought when it came to naming their dog.
During a visit to Brighton in 2018, the Duchess confirmed that their pet Labrador was actually a "she" and that people keep "getting her name wrong." Renowned animal-lover Meghan had two rescue dogs when she lived in Toronto, Guy and Bogart, who regularly featured on her now-deleted Instagram account.
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, £13.60, Amazon
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Guy moved to the UK with Meghan in 2017 shortly before her engagement to Prince Harry, but Bogart, a Labrador-shepherd cross, stayed back in Canada with friends due to his old age.
Harry and Meghan are believed to have taken Guy and Pula with them to their new Los Angeles home when they moved to the US in March. The couple's one-year-old son Archie is already reportedly a big animal lover and is "best friends with his dogs," according to PEOPLE.
MORE: How Meghan Markle will celebrate 39th birthday with Prince Harry and Archie
Meghan during a visit to Mayhew animal charity
The Duchess penned a touching foreword for animal charity and her patronage Mayhew earlier this year and revealed she has renewed her sponsorship of a dog kennel in Archie's name.
Meghan wrote: "I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the volunteers, staff and students at Mayhew. As an expression of my own commitment, I renewed my sponsorship of a dog kennel in the name of our son, Archie, to create an interim home for a pet in need. I hope you will show them your support in whatever ways you can. When you do, you will be contributing not just to animal welfare but to the shared welfare of us all."
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