James Middleton.
Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesJames Middleton he may be related to a member of the royal family, but that’s not why people stop him on the street.
“I don’t know if they often recognize me at parties. I don’t put myself in the category of being a celebrity, which is basically what I’m known for by default,” Middleton, 37, said during an interview with UK. Sunday Times published Sunday, December 29. “But people sometimes contact me on social media to say they’ve seen me with the dogs.”
Middleton and his wife, Alizée Thevenet, have a 15-month-old son, Inigo, but they are also parents to six dogs: Mabel, Nala, Zulu, Inka, Isla and Luna.
“I think they get to know the dogs first, to be honest,” Middleton said of being in public with his pups. “They know more than I do.”
Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images Princess Kate Middleton’s brother James Middleton was worried about how his family would react to news of his mental health struggles. “I had to figure it out for myself and I knew my family wouldn’t necessarily understand,” James, 37, told Hello! magazine in an interview published on Monday, (…)
Middleton spoke candidly about his relationship with animals in his memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog That Saved My Lifewhich was released last September. In the book, Middleton revealed that his late spaniel Ella (who died in January 2023) was instrumental in saving his life during a particularly dark period in 2017.
“Life is no longer worth living,” Middleton wrote in his book. “I feel suicidal. I think of ways to die so I can get off the crazy roller coaster that is sending me to the brink of insanity.”
The author recalled that Ella sensed his “strange, agitated state of mind” during one particular night when he climbed onto the roof of his house.
“Dark thoughts crowd upon me. What can I do to make them stop? I’m thinking of jumping off the roof,” he wrote. “As I take the step, I look down from the window and see the soft eyes of my spaniel Ella looking back at me. Like me, she’s been up all night.”
James Middleton will release his memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, later this month. As the brother of Princess Kate Middleton, the new book explores James’ interactions with members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Kate married Prince William on April 11, 2011, in a fairytale royal wedding in (…)
Throughout the book, Middleton recalled how Ella specifically helped her over the years.
“I have loved him with every ounce of my being since he was a tiny, sightless, newborn puppy,” he wrote. “She has been my companion, my hope, my support during my darkest days.”
Their close bond allowed Middleton to open his heart to many dogs – so he currently ends up with six dogs.
“Dogs love going on car trips – and there are more and more wonderful dog-friendly hotels in the UK where you think the dogs are being looked after better than you are,” Middleton said in the interview on Sunday. “The dogs have their own menus and beds and everything. It’s great to see hotels open that cater for the whole family; four-legged friends as well as two-legged ones.”
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