Royal Gardener Reveals King Charles Has Not One, But Two Touching Memorials to His Late Dog at Highgrove House
Grab your tissues.
The Royal Family have long been known for their love of dogs, but Queen Elizabeth's corgis aren't the only famous royal pets. King Charles and Queen Camilla share the late monarch's passion for canines—and in Camilla's case, rescue dogs. The Queen recently shared a photo of her new rescue puppy, Moley, ahead of a visit to a special dog-themed garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. And although The King's new puppy hasn't yet made his royal debut, one of the monarch's former gardeners has revealed the sweet tribute Charles designed for his late Jack Russell terrier, Tigga.
Speaking on behalf of Fruity King, Jack Stooks—who served as a gardener at The King's country house, Highgrove, for more than 20 years—said that his former boss lovingly created a spot for Tigga's final resting place when she died at the age of 18 in 2002.
Stooks said that Tigga "was buried just outside the walled garden in a little wooden coffin" at Highgrove, adding, "She was placed outside the walled garden because she would often get lost and was always found there, stuck. They liked the idea of putting her just outside the walled garden so she would never be stuck in there again."
Prince Charles, Prince Harry and Prince William are seen with William's late black lab, Widgen, and Charles's dog, Tigga, on the Balmoral estate in 1997.
Charles posed for a photo with Tigga in 1988.
A sculpture of Tigga sits among the flowers at Highgrove.
At the time of Tigga's death, a palace spokesperson said The King (then Prince Charles), was "very upset, as Tigga was a companion for a very long time."
Stooks shared that there's a statue of Tigga on the wall near her grave, but that The King also had another sculpture of his beloved pet placed in Highgrove's stumpery. In 2019, Highgrove House's Instagram account shared a photo of the piece, designed by artist Emma Stothard using woven willow, like the sculptures she made of Queen Camilla's Jack Russells, Beth and Bluebell. Beth sadly passed away in late 2024, but The King and Queen welcomed Moley and another dog, Snuff, early this year.
Snuff is an Italian truffle-hunting breed called a Lagotto Romagnolo, and according to a royal insider (via the Sun), "Charles is besotted with his puppy."
"He hasn’t had one since Tigga," the source said, adding, "Charles enjoys mushroom foraging, so they have a lot in common."
