The unlikely name Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis gave to their hamster 

It sounds like the Cambridge children are taking after their great grandmother 

Prince George 3rd birthday photos
Prince George 3rd birthday photos
(Image credit: Matt Porteous)

It sounds like the Cambridge children are taking after their great grandmother 

We all know the Queen is a big corgi fan. Whether they are hogging the limelight or inspiring new doggy product lines, the royal hounds are often making headlines. 

Over the course of her life, Her Majesty has ownded more than 30 dogs and given them some surprisingly funky names, from Bisto to Candy to Oxo. 

And it seems her great grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are following in her footsteps. In 2016, Kate Middleton said that the young royals' hamster goes by the name of Marvin.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Who Marvin is named after is uncertain. We do know that Charlotte is particularly fond of the hamster, because according to Kate, his “whiskers always tickle her face”.

The Cambridge family also had a black cocker spaniel called Lupo, which is Italian for Wolf. It is believed he was named after Kate’s great-grandmother, Olive Christiana Lupton, whose family crest features wolves. 

Apparently, Lupo was responsible for naming the Cambridge’s first born. According to the Mirror, William and Kate put all their favourite possible names for George on bits of paper on the floor to see which one Lupo gravitated to.

Kate Middleton and Lupo

Kate Middleton and Lupo

When Lupo passed away in 2020, William and Kate shared a touching tribute on social media: “Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much. - W & C."

Given their love of animals, it’s no surprise that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are big fans of Sir David Attenborough. In 2020, the royal siblings put their questions to the national treasure in a video shared on the Cambridge’s Twitter account. 

First up, eldest sibling George quizzed David on which animal might next become extinct. David reassured the Prince that there are lots of things people can do to save animals from extinction. 

“I like spiders do you like spiders too?” asked Charlotte. David said he does indeed like spiders, and thinks that most people don’t like them because they have eight legs.

“What animal do you like?” asked Prince Louis, then not quite three years old. “I think I like monkeys best, because they’re such fun,” replied David. 

This might be the most wholesome thing we’ve ever seen. 

Kate Hollowood
Kate Hollowood is a freelance journalist and writes about a range of topics for Marie Claire UK, from reports on royal news and current affairs to features on health, careers and relationships. Based in London, Kate has also written for titles like the i paper, Refinery29, Cosmopolitan and It’s Nice That.