royal cats© Photo: Getty Images

Only one royal family member owns a cat - find out who

The royals are renowned dog lovers instead

Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
October 15, 2020

The royal family are proud pet owners, with the Queen famously sharing her home with a number of corgis and her current dorgis, Vulcan and Candy, over the years. 

However, you may be surprised to learn that there only seems to be one member of the British royal family who has cats.

Princess Michael of Kent, who is married to the Queen's first cousin Prince Michael, has several Siamese and Burmese cats, as well as horses and dogs.

READ: 12 royals and the adorable pets they share their homes with

WATCH: Prince Edward reveals his unusual family pet

To celebrate her 70th birthday on 15 January 2015, the palace even released a glamorous photo of her holding one of her beloved cats, while donning a pearl and diamond tiara. Princess Michael has also been pictured with her feline friends at her former country home Nether Lypiatt Manor.

The Princess was born Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz in 1945 in an area now known as Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. She married Prince Michael in Vienna in 1978 and the couple have two children, Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Windsor.

MORE: 15 photos of the royals' sweetest and funniest moments with animals

© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Michael pictured with her cats and children in 1984

Prince and Princess Michael receive no public money, but do undertake a range of public duties, including representing the Queen at certain engagements. The couple live in Apartment 10 at Kensington Palace.

While the royals are renowned dog lovers, Queen Victoria's son Prince Leopold had a cat called Snowdrop, which was photographed by William Bambridge in July 1856, according to the Royal Collection Trust.

© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Michael and Prince Michael of Kent 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their English Cocker Spaniel Lupo in 2012, before they even had children, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also have two dogs called Guy and Pula.

And some royals have much more unusual pets. The Earl of Wessex recently revealed that he and wife Sophie have a pet tortoise "who basically rules the house".

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more