Queen Elizabeth II was known for her love of animals, especially her beloved corgis. The British monarch and her four-legged friends have been connected since she was gifted her first corgi, Susan, when she was 18.
In the wake of her death on Sept. 8, her son, the former Prince of Wales, became King Charles III — and with the name change, his subjects are celebrating two certain, similarly-named breeds of dog: the King Charles Spaniel and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Charles’ kingship was automatic, and a spokesperson for the 73-year-old royal confirmed to NBC News that he would be known as King Charles III.
Writer Mollie Goodfellow’s tweet went viral after she wrote, “Gonna be impossible to say the words King Charles without adding the word Spaniel on the end I’m afraid.”
That only fueled King Charles Spaniel owners to share their thoughts on the new King of England and to show off their furry friends — who appeared to now have regal attitudes.
"As the owner of a King Charles spaniel I can confirm my whole family now refers to him as 'your majesty,'" one person replied to Goodfellow.
Lord Bryon also agreed with Goodfellow about how they will say King Charles’ title.
“My parents’ King Charles spaniel minutes after hearing the news,” one person tweeted alongside a snap of the family’s pup.
“If you have a male King Charles spaniel you have to put a crown on his head and tell people to bow. Change his name to His Majesty,” one person suggested.
Another person shared a cute photo of their King Charles Spaniel on Twitter, adding, “Now leading the Monarchy in England. (Or eating a chewy in FL).”
"All hail [my cavalier] King Charles [spaniel]," writer and poet Anna Sulan Masing captioned her post.
Sharing a photo of five pups, one Twitter user wrote, "Yeah, he’s going to be King Charles Spaniel to us…."
There's also a new queen in this household, since their dog Koda is part King Charles Spaniel. "She is our new queen, bow down," another person tweeted.
A snoozy pup's owner also shared their reaction to the news, tweeting, "Prince, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is very impressed with his doppelganger, King Charles III. LONG LIVE THE KING."
One person noted that it was "a big day" for their furry friend.
One person shared that when they hear the name King Charles, they think of their special pup.
There's also Maxie, who now reigns over one user's household.
Getting into the conversation online, one person showed off their adorable pup Cujo. "Heh. I have a king Charles spaniel. His name (is) Cujo."
Lawyer Kevin Wiener joked by tweeting a photo a King Charles Spaniel and writing, "You can honour the ascension of our new monarch with a commemorative King Charles Spaniel."
While person wrote that their dog is "acting a bit privileged" with the recent news.
Cavapoo Patches, meanwhile, has been ruling his household for 12 years now.
One person, didn't know what they should do now that their pup has a tie to royalty.
"My dad pointed out that Maple is our 3rd Cavalier King Charles spaniel and I’m not sure what to do with this information. Do I buy her a crown?" they tweeted.
Some people also took the time to remember their late King Charles Spaniel with sweet tributes.
"Gonna be practically impossible to say King Charles without adding the word Spaniel on the end I’m afraid. Remembering our Pixie the bestest Cavalier King Charles Spaniel," one person tweeted.
"I have some reservations about calling the monarch King Charles… pls refer to my one and only King Charles (spaniel) RIP," another wrote, adding a crown emoji.
King Charles Spaniels assuming a new pedestal isn’t new. The dogs do have a connection with British history, as they got their name from the late King Charles I and his son, Charles II, who were big fans of the toy spaniel breed, according to the American Kennel Club.
Spaniels remained a favorite of British aristocrats into the early 19th century. They were later crossed with Asian toy spaniels and pugs, becoming the King Charles Spaniel in the United Kingdom and English Toy Spaniel in the U.S.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is slightly smaller than the King Charles Spaniel and was designated its own breed in the 1920s, when breeders tried to recreate what they imagined Charles II’s spaniel looked like.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are described as affectionate, gentle and graceful, per the site, and good with young children and other dogs.
The current King Charles and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, are dog owners themselves.
Camilla owns dogs Beth and Bluebell, which she adopted from Battersea, the charity that has “rehomed more than three million animals since being founded in 1860,” per the couple's Instagram. She is also a Patron of the animal rescue charity.