--- title: Prince George Birthday Photo Sparks Animal Rights Ire description: The four photos released by Kensington Palace to honor the third birthday of Prince George warmed hearts worldwide—except for one picture canonical: https://time.com/4419956/prince-george-birthday-photo/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-22T21:04:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T23:18:21.000Z og:title: This Cute Photo of Prince George Was Too Much for an Animal Rights Group og:description: The 3-year-old royal offered his dog some ice cream og:url: https://time.com/4419956/prince-george-birthday-photo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt597238e7cc1714fb/69889ef43c1639679845e2ad/prince_george_lupo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Prince George and Lupo og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Cute Photo of Prince George Was Too Much for an Animal Rights Group twitter:description: The 3-year-old royal offered his dog some ice cream twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt597238e7cc1714fb/69889ef43c1639679845e2ad/prince_george_lupo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Cute Birthday Photo of Prince George Was Too Much for an Animal Rights Group > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e1a1f020-2384-4faf-9a10-78212c24cb47&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e1a1f020-2384-4faf-9a10-78212c24cb47&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=e1a1f020-2384-4faf-9a10-78212c24cb47&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e1a1f020-2384-4faf-9a10-78212c24cb47&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 14, 2023 11:18 PM UTCPublished: Jul 22, 2016 9:04 PM UTC  Britain's Prince George is seen with the family pet dog, Lupo, in this photograph taken in mid-July at his home in Norfolk and released by Kensington Palace to mark his third birthday, in London, July 22, 2016. Britain's Prince George is seen with the family pet dog, Lupo, in this photograph taken in mid-July at his home in Norfolk and released by Kensington Palace to mark his third birthday, in London, July 22, 2016. Matt Porteous—Handout/Reuters by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 14, 2023 11:18 PM UTCPublished: Jul 22, 2016 9:04 PM UTC The four photos released by Kensington Palace to honor the [third birthday of Prince George](http://time.com/4418745/prince-gorge-turns-three-photos-royalty/) warmed hearts worldwide—except for one picture that prompted an animal welfare group to speak out. Among the four images, one featuring the barefoot royal appearing to [feed his pet spaniel Lupo an ice cream treat](https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/756407093373112320?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) was seen as more than just a sweet moment between the toddler and dog. After the photos were released Friday, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said Prince George’s gesture, while well-intentioned, may not have been the wisest course of action. “It is lovely that Prince George is trying to help keep his family dog, Lupo, cool in these high temperatures,” the RSPCA said in a [statement](http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222%5F21020166,00.html). “We would advise to be cautious when giving their dogs food meant for human consumption as some items, like chocolate, can be highly toxic to dogs and dairy items can be difficult for them to digest.” Lupo is not actually eating the ice cream in the photo. While dog-safe ice cream and desserts exist, it is unclear whether the kind Prince George is holding qualifies as safe and healthy for dogs. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4419956/prince-george-birthday-photo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4419956/prince-george-birthday-photo/"},"headline":"This Cute Birthday Photo of Prince George Was Too Much for an Animal Rights Group","datePublished":"2016-07-22T21:04:12.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-14T23:18:21.000Z","description":"The 3-year-old royal offered his dog some ice cream","url":"https://time.com/4419956/prince-george-birthday-photo/","keywords":["Newsfeed","royals","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt597238e7cc1714fb/69889ef43c1639679845e2ad/prince_george_lupo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt597238e7cc1714fb/69889ef43c1639679845e2ad/prince_george_lupo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Prince George and Lupo","caption":"Britain's Prince George is seen with the family pet dog, Lupo, in this photograph taken in mid-July at his home in Norfolk and released by Kensington Palace to mark his third birthday, in London, July 22, 2016.","creditText":"Matt Porteous—Handout/Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4419956/prince-george-birthday-photo/","name":"This Cute Birthday Photo of Prince George Was Too Much for an Animal Rights Group"}}]}] ```