Princess Kate’s brother, James Middleton, has revealed the future queen’s touching reaction when meeting his now-wife for the first time, according to his newly released memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life.
Middleton’s book, which hit shelves on Thursday, provides a raw account of his journey of self-discovery during his mental health challenges. In the book, he makes a number of emotional revelations, including an account of a period of depression in 2017 when he considered taking his life.
After seeking professional help, Middleton was diagnosed with clinical depression and attention deficit disorder. In 2018, he began improving with the help of therapy sessions, some of which were attended by family members, including his two sisters, Kate and Pippa Middleton Matthews.
That same year, he met French financier Alizée Thevenet, and the couple began a committed relationship.
Princess Kate is pictured in London in December 2023, with an inset of her brother’s wife, Alizee Thevenet. James Middleton revealed his sister’s reaction to first meeting Thevenet in his new memoir.
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In his book—named in tribute to his late beloved dog Ella, whom he credits with both helping him survive the darkest days of his depression and with meeting Thevenet—Middleton tells how his future wife and royal sister first met.
After attending a wedding close to his family home in Berkshire, Middleton and Thevenet decided to spend the night at the property, sneaking in late at night so as not to wake his parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.
Unexpectedly, he was awakened by the sounds of a giggling Prince George and Princess Charlotte outside his door, unaware that Kate, William and their three children were also houseguests.
He told readers he hadn’t time to warn Thevenet that when she walked into breakfast wearing one of his shirts she’d be joining two future kings and a queen.
“In situations like this, Alizée is wonderfully French,” he wrote. “She does not panic.”
After they all spent the day together, Middleton said, he was relieved to see how well his family and then-girlfriend were getting along.
“I knew my family would make Alizée welcome. What I feared was that they might overwhelm her. But she is not remotely overawed by our royal connection,” he said.
“Catherine and William are just my sister and brother-in-law as far as she is concerned, and she is delighted to spend a day with them.”
He went on to provide a rare insight into how Kate in particular responded to meeting her potential sister-in-law.
“When we all hug goodbye, I get a special squeeze from Catherine,” he wrote. “Who whispers in my ear, ‘She’s just great,’ and Mum’s warm smile tells me she agrees. All my stars have aligned: Alizée is perfect for me and my family adore her too.”
James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet are seen at Westminster Abbey in July 2022. The couple married in 2023.
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The account contrasts with the one about Kate’s first meeting with Meghan Markle when she was dating Prince Harry in 2016.
In Meghan and Harry’s 2022 docuseries, Meghan highlighted the contrast between her informality and the royal style of doing things.
“It’s so funny if I look back at it now because now I know so much, and I’m so glad I didn’t then. Because I could just authentically be myself without so much preparedness,” she said about first meeting her future in-laws.
“Even when Will and Kate came over and I had met her for the first time…. They came for dinner. I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, always being a hugger. I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.
“I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside, carried through on the inside,” she continued. “That there is a forward-facing way of being. And then you close the door and you are like ‘Oh, great. Okay, we can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me.”
James Middleton and Thevenet married in 2021 and welcomed their first child, Inigo Gabriel Middleton, in 2023.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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