The Princess of Wales' younger brother James Middleton and wife Alizée Thevenet's pet dogs are a key part of their family, from their first meeting to their wedding day and even their pregnancy announcement.
The entrepreneur, 36, announced the couple are expecting their first baby at the end of the year by sharing a series of photos on Instagram. While the first snap showed Mabel standing on the wall and delicately clutching Alizee's crochet white jumper in her mouth, revealing her blossoming baby bump, the second picture captured a candid moment between Alizee and her dogs in a field.
"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," James wrote in the Instagram post.
Dressed in a bump-skimming green cotton midi dress, financial analyst Alizee stood in a rural location with corn growing up to her thighs and trees in the distance. The picturesque setting was reminiscent of the couple's wedding, which took place on 11 September 2021 in Bormes-les-Mimosas.
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One of their very rare photos, shared exclusively with HELLO!, showed Alizee with her hair twisted into a similar half-updo as her pregnancy announcement. She looked stunning as she gazed down at Ella – who sadly passed away in January 2023 – and Mabel against the backdrop of bales of hay and greenery wearing a Bardot-style 1980s wedding dress which belonged to her mother-in-law Carole.
James, meanwhile, looked dapper in a cream suit and a blue shirt. His parents Carole and Michael were in attendance, as well as the Princess of Wales with her husband Prince William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and Pippa Middleton and her husband James Matthews, and their eldest children Arthur and Grace.
© InstagramIt makes sense that James' dogs had the special role of flower girls since he has Ella to thank for meeting his future wife at the South Kensington Club in Chelsea in 2018. He explained in The Telegraph: "Ella was lying at my feet under the table; realising she might want some water, I trusted her to take herself over to the water bowl across the terrace.
"However, she made a beeline for Alizée. Rather embarrassed, I went over to apologise and bring Ella back," he explained. "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.
© Getty"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."
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