Meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's New Dog, Mamma Mia, a Rescue Beagle Liberated From Animal Testing Centre
The newest member of The House of Windsor went from rags-to-riches
Meghan Markle has something majorly in common with Queen Elizabeth: She is a dog lover. The Suits star, who has an affinity for rescue dogs, has homed many pooches over the years, referring to her pets as "my loves" and "my boys." However, while the Queen tends to gravitate toward corgis, it seems the Duchess of Sussex has a thing for another breed: Beagles. In fact, one of her beloved Beagles, Guy, even lived in the Kensington Palace pad she shared with Prince Harry prior to becoming husband and wife. And, according to a new report, she recently added another Beagle to her brood.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Harry and Meghan recently adopted a beagle named Mamma Mia, who currently resides at their swanky Montecito mansion with the couple and their two children, Archie and Lilibet. The rescue dog has a rags-to-riches story, after being rescued from a scary research plant in Virginia. Keep reading to see the video of Mia and other rescued dogs.
Mamma Mia was rescued in July, along with 4,000 other Beagles, from the Envigo breeding and research plant. She landed in Valley Village at the Beagle Freedom Project, run by animal rights attorney Shannon Keith. "The duchess called me personally," Keith told the publication.
Initially, she didn't know who the "VIP Donor" interested in a beagle adoption was. "She calls on my cell with no Caller ID and says, 'Hey Shannon, this is Meghan,'" said Keith. "We talked for 30 minutes, and I thought, 'Is this Megan Fox?'" However, it was Meghan and Prince Harry. Shortly after the call, they made an after-hours visit with two security guards to the San Fernando Valley house.
Mamma Mia had been transported to California with eight newborn puppies, but the Duchess and Duke only had eyes for her. "The duchess is holding Mia and was like, 'We're adopting her,'" Keith said. "She was like 'No, we don't want a Christmas puppy. … We want ones we can help who are older.'" According to Meghan's spokeswoman, the former actress was moved by the story about Envigo's shutdown.
When the Duke and Duchess were getting ready to leave with the newest House of Windsor family member, Harry paused. "He's just like, 'Well, we can't leave yet because there's something in that back house she needs. Does she have a favorite toy or something?'" Keith explained. They went back to a box with toys and allowed Mia to grab her favorite toy. "OK, now we can go home," Harry said.
