Prince William is not a royal rebel. Throughout his life, the Prince has been a rock the royals have depended on. But there is one rule the Prince of Wales will gladly break which offers a sneaky peak into his sleeping habits.

William, 42 was recently visiting the Duchy of Cornwall, England, when he revealed that his cocker spaniel Orla often sleeps with him and his wife, Princess Catherine, in their bed.

Royal fan Louise Harland told Hits Radio Cornwall, via Hello that the Prince of Wales was admiring her Cockerjack dog, Jacks, when he made the surprising admission.

“(William) said that his little dog sleeps on the bed with them at night, with him and Kate,” she said.

“(He was) absolutely in love with my little dog. He asked what breed he was and he’s never met one of those breeds, he’s a Cockerjack, so he’s a little bit of a unique combination.”

Harland added that the Prince commented on how “soft” her pet’s ears were and “gave him lots of loving”.

Orla was gifted to the Wales by Catherine’s younger brother James Middleton, shortly before their older dog, Lupo, died in 2020.

While the heartwarming anecdote will please royal fans and dog lovers alike, researchers warn against sleeping with your four-legged furry friend.

As part of a recent study published in Scientific Reports, over 1,500 American adults answered questions about their sleep routines. Surprisingly, about half of them admitted to sharing their sleeping space with their pets—meaning their pets bunked with them for at least part of the night.

Researchers then dug into the sleep patterns of both pet co-sleepers and those who snoozed solo. The verdict? People who cuddled up with their pets experienced poorer sleep quality and more trouble with insomnia compared to those who slept without their furry companions. Even after adjusting for different demographics, the results held up.

Despite such findings, a whopping 93 per cent of those who snuggled with their pets believed their presence had either a positive or neutral impact on their sleep.

Brian N. Chin, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Trinity College and lead author of the study, noted that while pets often boost mental well-being, their nighttime antics might sabotage sleep quality.

“Most pet owners report that their pets have a generally positive effect on their mental health,” Chin wrote.

“However, our study fills an important knowledge gap by indicating that co-sleeping with pets can affect sleep quality.

“Even though pets may have an overall positive effect on mental health, it is possible that some of this benefit may be undermined if they are also causing you to lose sleep at night.”