All about the King Charles Spaniel – and how it’s different from the Cavalier version of the same name

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Low-set ears, a domed skull and short muzzles are hallmarks of the diminutive King Charles Spaniel.
(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

The King Charles Spaniel is a distinct breed from the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, but the two toy breeds share a common ancestry in the courts of Charles I and II. Until 1945, the two were shown together under one breed, but there are various features that distinguish one from the other. They were originally going to be named “toy spaniels”, but King Edward VII intervened to preserve the royal connection of these aristocratic breeds and so King Charles was adopted.

The original King Charles spaniels were very versatile. Beloved by the ladies of the time for their lapdog qualities, as companions and playthings, the men found them to be a mini sporting dog, with plenty of ability to flush game like their larger spaniel counterparts. However, by the turn of the 20th century, the fashion for diminutive short-faced toy breeds, such as pugs, meant that these features were sought after. This gave rise to what is now the King Charles with its domed skull and short muzzle and the smallest spaniel breed of all. Other breeders clung on to the “old type” with flatter skulls and longer muzzles, and this split off into the larger Cavalier version. Their coat colours and type of fur are the same across the two breeds.

Martha Terry
Martha Terry
Features editor

Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.