British Royal Named Pet Black Sheep After Venus and Serena

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 22, 2025

Princess Michael of Kent reportedly named her pets that to “shock” guests.

In a weird move worthy of a serious side-eye, a member of the British royal family reportedly named her pet Black sheep after Venus and Serena Williams.

Princess Michael of Kent, wife of Prince Michael of Kent, is apparently the culprit of this odd naming. Prince Michael is the son of Prince George, the brother of King George, and late uncle of Queen Elizabeth II. US Weekly reported that the rumor came from an author named Aatish Taseer.

While unconfirmed, Taseer does have ties to the British royal family, which lends credibility to his claims. Taseer used to date Lady Gabriella Windsor, the daughter of Princess Michael of Kent. Windsor is also the cousin of the current monarch, King Charles III. The A Return To Self: Excursions in Exile writer revealed the alleged naming during an interview on the Tell Me About Your Father podcast.

“I think the [story about] Venus and Serena was part of that weird air of abstraction that exists around these people and how they’re not even aware of how shocking or offensive that might be,” Taseer said on the podcast.

However, Taseer spoke up about the names before in 2018. He wrote about Princess Michael’s assumed “desire to shock” when she shared the pets’ names with others.

“Princess Michael, though generally free of British colonial prejudices, and beyond reproach when it came to me, nevertheless invited trouble out of what felt like a desire to shock: her pair of black sheep in Gloucestershire were named Venus and Serena,” previously wrote Taseer.

Taseer does not have a current relationship with the British Royal family, which he thinks stems from his sexuality. Taseer identifies as a gay man. However, he still remembers the micro-aggressive, if not just outright racist, naming.

The admission sparked immediate backlash for the clear racial origins of the names. Although Taseer views Princess Michael as “a gay icon,” the podcast hosts think her prejudices may hinder that title.

“If she weren’t so racist, she’d be really marketable, joked podcast cohost Matt Philip.

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