Kate's brother's whirlwind love life - TV star ex and glam pregnant wife
The Princess of Wales is expecting a new addition to her family - a brand new niece or nephew courtesy of her brother James.
The 36-year-old revealed on Instagram that his wife Alizée Thevenet is expecting their first child - almost two years after they tied the knot in a beautiful wedding in France attended by Kate, Prince William and their three children.
Yesterday, the loved-up pair spent the day at Wimbledon, where Alizée showed off her blossoming baby bump in a gorgeous green dress. The new baby will also be a sixth cousin for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
James and Alizée's relationship blossomed thanks to his late pet dog Ella and came after a high-profile romance with an older TV star...
Chance first meeting
James, who previously had an on-off relationship with actress and former Byker Grove star Donna Air, is a keen dog lover and previously insisted it was "one requirement" for any love interest.
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James Middleton with pregnant wife Alizée (Javier Garcia/REX/Shutterstock)
James previously dated Byker Grove star Donna Air (Dave Benett/ Getty Images for El)In fact, when James and Alizée first met at the private South Kensington Club in 2018, it was his cocker spaniel, Ella, who died earlier this year, played Cupid. James said that he allowed Ella, who had been sitting at his feet, to go and get a drink of water from a bowl across the room. However, she made a beeline for Alizée, leaving him embarrassed.
He explained: "I went over to apologise and bring Ella back. But Alizée thought I was the waiter and ordered her drink while continuing to stroke Ella, who at this point was on her back lapping up the attention.
"Little did I know, but I had just met my future wife, all thanks to Ella. If I hadn’t trusted Ella, I wouldn’t have brought her to the South Kensington Club and she wouldn’t have been able to say hi to the woman who became my fiancée."
Glam fiancee
The couple dated for more than a year, with Alizée spotted on a family holiday with the Middletons soon after. They announced their engagement in September 2019 after James reportedly popped the question on a trip to the Lake District.
Teasing his Instagram followers with the news, James shared a series of romantic photos of the pair, captioning them: “I asked @alizeethevenet a question the other day…And she said…”
He soon made the big reveal, snapping her showing off a huge engagement ring with the message: “She said OUI. Our secret is out but we couldn’t be happier to share the news.”
James had a chance first meeting with Alizée (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Bvlgari)
James in 2021 with one of his dogs (Humphrey Nemar)Before settling in the UK, Alizée travelled the world, with stints living in Germany, Indonesia, Chile, France and Belgium. Studying accounting and finance in Brussels, she later completed a degree in investment and finance at Queen Mary, University of London - where she graduated with a master's.
Away from work, she loves to get stuck into skiing, sailing and watersports - and according to her dad, even her name is inspired by his own love of windsurfing - the "Alize wind that fills the sails".
Marriage plans wrecked
In 2020, James revealed the couple had twice had to postpone their nuptials due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He told of the delays on Instagram in a sweet post to mark the first anniversary of their engagement.
However, they finally tied the knot in September 2021 in the beautiful Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in the south of France. Alizée wore her mother-in-law Carole's wedding dress after reportedly trying it on during lockdown.
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The couple on their wedding day (jmidy/Instagram)
The pair at Wimbledon last yearShe told Hello!: "My something borrowed was, in fact, my dress from my mother in law Carole who last wore it 41 years ago on her wedding day in June, 1980. While talking about dresses with Carole and sharing ideas during lockdown for inspiration, I tried on her wedding dress and fell in love with it.
"It fitted me perfectly and was exactly what I wanted. It always troubled me that wedding dresses are only worn once so it was amazing to give such a beautiful dress a second lease of life."
Alizée's dress is in stark contrast to that of her sisters-in-law as Kate chose a gown from Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen for her big day, while Pippa opted for a stunning dress from designer Giles Deacon.
Heartbreaking goodbye
The couple suffered heartbreak earlier this year when James revealed that his beloved dog Ella had died. The 15-year-old Cocker Spaniel was the first dog James ever owned, and he said he would "miss her terribly".
James counts Ella as helping him through his struggles with mental health and inspired him to start his own brand of natural dog food named after her. Ella was the matriarch of James' pack of beloved dogs, which includes four more Cocker Spaniels as well as a Golden Retriever who welcomed eight puppies in the summer.
Pregnancy news
Alizée announces her pregnancy
It is the couple's first childSharing the news of Alizée's pregnancy earlier this week, James alluded to Ella - but also shared a poignant picture of his wife and one of his other dogs, called Mabel.
Posting on Instagram, he said: "We couldn't be more excited... Well, Mable might be.It was a very difficult start to the year after losing my beloved Ella however, we will end the year with the most precious little addition to our growing family."
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