Queen Camilla was joined by James Middleton, the brother of the Princess of Wales, at Clarence House today as she welcomed cancer-detecting dogs to the royal residence. The reception honoured the remarkable abilities of these specially trained canines, which can detect signs of cancer in humans through their acute sense of smell.
A Royal Welcome for Life-Saving Dogs
James Middleton, known for his deep affection for dogs, greeted Camilla with a kiss on the cheek as they welcomed two pooches trained by Medical Detection Dogs. The Queen patted the heads of golden Labrador Jodie and fox red Labrador Floren, who waited for her in the hallway of the royal residence. Floren, aged 11, has been trained to detect prostate cancer, while Jodie, nine, can identify the disease in the bowel. The Queen smiled as Jodie demonstrated her skills by pinpointing the disease among four urine samples.
James Middleton's Contribution
Mr Middleton’s dog food company, Ella & Co, donates treats to Medical Detection Dogs. He told the Queen he was “mind-blown” by what the dogs have been trained to accomplish. Camilla was also shown an “electronic nose” developed to replicate the animals’ diagnostic abilities, though she remarked that “nature will always lead the way” and “we’re always going to need the dogs.”
Overcoming Scepticism
After the demonstration and speeches, Camilla requested that the canines be brought back to Clarence House soon, saying: “I think it’s becoming a second home for the dogs. We’ve had so many people here, and a lot of sceptical people who come and have gone away transformed.” She acknowledged that scepticism about this medical use of canines still exists, adding: “We’ll just have to bring more people back here… and more dogs.”
Wolfie's Unique Skills
The Queen also met Wolfie, a six-year-old black Labrador trained to alert his owner, Lucy Burls, before a spike in symptoms of her Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS). Ms Burls, 39, explained that Wolfie usually alerts her by making eye contact, but if her condition worsens, he rests his head on her lap. She told Camilla that Wolfie can travel with her on planes and even speedboats, and particularly enjoys double-decker buses.
Technology vs. Nature
The electronic nose device, developed by the charity and Dr Andreas Mershin from RealNose.AI, was placed in the Queen’s hands. Dr Mershin blew into it to demonstrate its ability to pick up scent. Camilla joked that the dogs were far faster, taking only about four seconds, whereas the machine takes about 10 minutes to detect cancer. Dr Mershin said: “The dogs are leading, they’re still beating us on every metric, we have to start somewhere, and the best thing is to compete against them.” The Queen responded: “Nature will always lead the way. However brilliant, as the machine is, we’re always going to need the dogs.” She added: “It’s fascinating, thank you very much… I shall look forward to an update.”
Camilla's Long-Standing Patronage
Camilla has been Patron of Medical Detection Dogs (MDD) since 2014. In recent years, Her Majesty has observed many Bio Detection Dogs at work, including those trained to detect cancer and Covid-19. MDD trains dogs to save lives using their sense of smell, with Medical Alert Assistance Dogs and Bio Detection Dogs capable of detecting even the tiniest trace of the smell caused by a medical condition.
