Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Adopted a Rescue Beagle Named Mamma Mia

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have welcomes a new member of the Sussex family. The royal couple have reportedly adopted a 7-year old rescue beagle named Mamma Mia.

In a canine Cinderella story worthy of an animated feature, the LA Times reports that Mamma Mia and her eight newborn puppies were rescued from an Envigo breeding and research plant in Virginia. The facility, which shut down following a federal lawsuit accusing it of "failing to meet the Animal Welfare Act’s minimum standards for handling, housing, feeding, watering, sanitation and adequate veterinary care, among other requirements," according to the Department of Justice, surrendered over 4,000 beagles at the time of its closure this July. The dogs were, in turn moved to shelters and rescue groups, including the Beagle Freedom Project in California, where Meghan and Harry ultimately found Mamma Mia.

"The duchess called me personally," Shannon Keith, an animal rights attorney who runs the Beagle Freedom Project told the Times. "She calls on my cell with no Caller ID and says, 'Hey Shannon, this is Meghan.' We talked for 30 minutes, and I thought, 'Is this Megan Fox?'"

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The royal couple reportedly visited Keith's facility to meet with some of the pups, but quickly decided on the litter's mother. "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.'"

A spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed that Meghan had seen the news about the Envigo facility's shut down and wanted to get involved, adding that the duchess was focussed on helping an older, more vulnerable dog, knowing that puppies are often easier to find homes for.

Mamma Mia won't be Meghan's first foray into caring for a rescue beagle—when she moved to the UK in 2018 to marry Prince Harry, she brought with her Gus, her rescue beagle, who gained start status himself: he was even rumored to have appeared at Meghan and Harry's wedding reception.