Prince William and Kate Middleton slammed by PETA in brutal statement over his birthday portrait

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been called 'staggeringly out of touch' by animal rights organisation PETA following a recent picture with their dog's puppies.

Last week, the Princess of Wales shared a sweet snap of her husband sitting on a field with their English Cocker Spaniel, Orla, and three of the dog's puppies.

The little pups were reportedly born in May, and William's birthday portrait is the first look royal fans have at the adorable animals.

Alongside the Instagram photo, Kate wrote in the caption: "Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!"

Excited followers quipped: "My heart just exploded. Happy Birthday!" and: "What a joyful photo. Happy birthday to HRH Prince William."

However, not everyone was as enamoured with the photo, as PETA has issued a brutal statement criticising the couple.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been brutally slammed by PETA (ANDY BARR / Getty Images)

The organisation issued a statement accusing them of ‘churning out a litter’ instead of adopting.

PETA’s Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen said: “The Prince and Princess of Wales should know that shelters here and worldwide are overflowing with puppies desperate for a second chance at a loving home and that churning out a litter in the midst of this animal homelessness crisis is staggeringly out of touch.

"If William is going to lead, he might well take a lesson from King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who have chosen to adopt from a shelter rather than contribute to the problem.”

The couple, who are yet to publicly respond to the comments, welcomed Orla into their family back in 2020 after their first dog Lupo unexpectedly passed away.

Lupo had been given as a wedding gift to the couple from The Princess of Wales' brother, James Middleton.

The Instagram snap shows Prince William enjoying time with Orla and her pups (Instagram/princeandprincessofwales)

It’s unknown how many of Orla’s pups the Prince and Princess of Wales plan to keep, although some reports suggest it could be just one.

Elsewhere, The King and Camilla opted to adopt back in February, which was referenced by PETA in their statement.

They adopted a Jack Russell terrier called Moley, four months after losing their last beloved rescue pup, Beth, who was adopted in 2011.

Confirming the news at the time, London-based animal rescue centre Battersea issued a statement on the new pup.

They told The Daily Mail: "We’re pleased to confirm that Battersea has recently rehomed an 8-week-old Jack Russell terrier cross female puppy, called Moley, to our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen.

"The Queen has long been a supporter of Battersea’s work and has previously rehomed two rescue dogs from our charity."

A representative for the Prince and Princess of Wales declined to comment when contacted by Tyla.