Duchess of Cornwall is among millions of motorists in the dark over little-known rules

The Duchess of Cornwall today joined millions of pet owners unaware of little-known rules on restraining dogs in cars, as she drove away from an engagement with her terrier on her lap.

Camilla, 73, was joined by her delightful rescue Jack Russell, Beth, to officially open new kennels at Battersea Cat and Dog Home in Windsor, with the cheeky canine stealing the show as she helped to unveil a plaque.

The Duchess who donned a paw paw print face mask for the occasion, was pictured leaving in a chauffeur driven car with Beth on her knee, just like 75 per cent of motorists who are in the dark over the obscure rules.

Very few people are aware of the section of the Highway Code which states that when in a vehicle, you must make sure animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract or injure the driver, or themselves, if the car stops quickly.’

A seat belt harness, pet carrier, cage or guard are seen as suitable ways of restraining animals in cars, and failure to comply can invalidate insurance or see motorists fined up to £5,000. 

But nothing could put a dampener on the afternoon, which saw Camilla open the new kennels facility named after her, where she met staff and the charity’s supporters to thank them for their work. 

And Beth proved to be the perfect assistant, as she pulled a sausage treat that was tied around a rope attached to a curtain covering the sign commemorating Camilla’s opening of a new facility. 

Arriving at the centre this morning, Camilla, the patron of Battersea since 2017 and a long-term supporter, was greeted by the charity’s chief executive Claire Horton, and a canine ‘guard of honour’ of four dogs, who she petted before spotting Beth, who had arrived separately from her.  

The duchess, who wore a bottle green wool coat with a tartan collar by Mr Roy, and a doggy brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels, was taken on a tour of the new facilities which include state-of-the-art kennels and a special maternity unit.  

Next, Camilla was shown the agility paddock where she met Jet, a three-year-old Springer Spaniel and her handler Caroline Sales. 

Camilla’s last pit-stop was the puppy training room, where she met 12-week old pug puppy Ernie, and his handler Sean Welland. 

And many social media users were delighted that Camilla was accompanied by Beth on the engagement. 

‘Zara and Mike are having a baby and Camilla’s dog unveiled a plaque so I’d say it was a pretty good royal news day so far,’ wrote one, while a second penned:

‘So delightful! I love Camilla’s work with animal charities. Wonder if she and HM have bonded over their dogs.’

A third enthused: ‘Camilla’s cute adopted Jack Russell dog steals show on royal visit to Battersea.’