Prince William and Princess Kate Finally Reveal the "Wealthy" Name of Their New Dog, and It's Perfect for Royalty

The Wales family's puppy has made his royal debut.

Otto the dog; the Wales family laying in grass
(Image credit: The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram)

Royal watchers have been eagerly awaiting the official reveal of Prince William and Princess Kate's new puppy, and on May 1, they finally got their wish. The Prince and Princess of Wales gave a small glimpse of the dog in their 15th anniversary photo on April 29, but they surprised fans with a portrait of their brown cocker spaniel on social media Friday, sharing his name is Otto.

"Welcome to the family, Otto! 1 today 🥳 🎂" the Instagram post read. In the photo, the dog's fur blows in the breeze as he sits in a field of flowers with a towering hill visible in the distance.

Otto was born to the Wales family's dog, Orla, last May and made his first appearance in Prince William's birthday photo just about a month later. Princess Kate's brother, James, breeds dogs and gave Orla to William and Kate shortly before their first dog, Lupo, died in 2020.

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Otto

A photo posted by on

The Wales family laying in grass with their dogs

Otto sits behind Prince William's head in the prince and princess's 15th anniversary photo, shared on April 29.

(Image credit: Matt Porteous/Kensington Royal)

Prince William sitting in grass with puppies

Otto and his siblings joined Prince William in his 2025 birthday photo.

(Image credit: The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram)

As for the meaning of Otto, it's a name rich in history. According to Baby Center, it's "a classic German name meaning 'prosperous' or 'wealthy'" tracing back to Old High German, "where it was often associated with fortune and nobility."

Otto also has something in common with Princess Kate's former assistant and stylist, Natasha Archer, who left the royal household last summer. Natasha and her former husband, Chris Jackson, have a son named Otto, and she weighed in on the Wales family's post on Instagram writing, "Great name 🤎😝🤎."

Otto was born before Natasha left her job, so perhaps his name was a tribute to Kate's trusted staff member. But the dog also has a connection to Pippa Middleton's brother-in-law, Spencer Matthews, as one of his children with wife Vogue Matthews is also called Otto.

Now that he's made his public debut, here's hoping Otto will join George or Charlotte in their upcoming birthday photos like Orla, who posed with Charlotte in 2023.

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.