Queen Camilla says 'sad farewell' to her beloved Jack Russell, Beth

Her Majesty Queen Camilla's much-loved Jack Russell terrier Beth has died.

The Queen's Jack Russell terriers, Beth (pictured right) and Bluebell.
The Queen's Jack Russell terriers, Beth (pictured right) and Bluebell.
(Image credit: Anya Campbell/ Country Life)

Her Majesty had owned Beth since 2011, when she adopted the three-month-old puppy from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, a charity of which she is a patron. The Queen adopted her other Jack Russell, Bluebell, shortly afterwards. 'They are both colourful characters — and now I cannot imagine my life, my home or my sofas without them,' she wrote in her foreword to the book Top Dogs: A British Love Affair.

In 2022, when guest-editing a special issue of Country Life, Queen Camilla — then the Duchess of Cornwall — even put her beloved pets on the Frontispiece page of the magazine, both adorned with pearls and posing beautifully for the camera.

Bluebell (left) and Beth (right), as seen in the 13 July 2022 Frontispiece of County Life Magazine. ©Anya Campbell for Country Life
(Image credit: Country Life)

Beth and Bluebell were given an even greater honour not long afterwards, when The Queen had a pair of Jack Russells embroidered into the gown she wore during her Coronation.

Spot the dog?
(Image credit: Hugo Burnand / Royal Household)

The Royal Family shared a series of pictures and a video of Beth, who had to be put down after developing an inoperable tumour.


An Aga, a dog bed and a delightfully cosy pet. What could be finer? Lady Ralph Kerr's Jack Russell, Tuppence, pictured at the family home. Photographed for Country Life by Sarah Farnsworth.
(Image credit: Country Life)

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Toby Keel

Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.