The Princess of Wales and her family recently celebrated a special occasion – her sister-in-law, Alizée Thevenet's birthday. The financial analyst, who is married to Kate's younger brother, James Middleton, is believed to have turned 36 on Sunday (30 November). While James, 38, who frequently posts about Alizée on Instagram, has yet to share the details of her birthday celebrations, we imagine she enjoyed some quality time with her husband, their two-year-old son, Inigo, and their adorable dogs. A beloved member of the Middleton family, since falling for James in 2018, Alizée has grown close to his parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, not to mention his two sisters, Pippa Middleton and, of course, Princess Kate.
© Dave BenettAlizée Thevenet's love story with James Middleton
Alizée and James first met at the South Kensington Club in the summer of 2018. The duo, each of whom had scheduled meetings at the club, were introduced when James' black cocker spaniel, Ella, wandered over to Alizée. After getting to know one another, James and Alizée eventually started dating, and in January 2019, the French financial analyst joined her new beau on a trip to St. Barts with his sister, Pippa, and her husband, James Matthews.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageBy May 2020, the couple had made their romance Instagram official, and five months later, James proposed on a trip to the Lake District, presenting Alizée with an Art Deco emerald-cut sapphire engagement ring flanked by baguette diamonds. Prior to their nuptials, the couple bought a house together in August 2021, with James confirming the news. "I think buying a house is up there with one of the most stressful experiences in my life," he wrote on social media. "It's been a hectic few months moving in to our new home & we couldn't be happier. We are settling into our life in the country & the dogs [love] their new home."
Just over a month after they'd got the keys to their new home, James and Alizée said 'I do' on 11 September with a low-key ceremony in Bormes-les-Mimosas in France. Princess Kate, Prince William, and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – were in attendance, and they even flew in early to surprise James and Alizée.
"To our huge surprise and delight, however, they [the Prince and Princess of Wales] arrive on Friday evening, earlier than planned, to join in the pre-wedding meal," James wrote in his debut book, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life. "We want them to be able to relax without fear of intrusion, and it is challenging because the restaurant where we eat is quite exposed. But – thanks in part to our low-key, last-minute plans – no paparazzi find us."
© InstagramFollowing their big day, James and Alizée revealed in July 2023, that they were expecting their first child together. "We couldn't be more excited," James told fans on Instagram. Their son, Inigo, was born two months later in September, with doting dad James noting: "No matter how prepared I thought I was…I was not prepared for the overwhelming emotion of meeting Inigo for the first time and the love for my darling Alizée as we became three."
Alizée's sweet bond with Princess Kate and the Wales family
Alizée has a particularly sweet bond with Princess Kate and her family. In his 2024 memoir, James revealed that his wife had hit it off with Kate, William and their children right away, after meeting at his parents' home in Bucklebury, Berkshire in 2018. "We decide, on impulse, to stay at Mum and Dad's," James recalled.
"I'm woken at 7.30am by giggling at the bedroom door. It's George and Charlotte, my nephew and niece. I hadn't realised all three children are staying for the weekend with my sister and William. Alizée is still sound asleep, so I gently shush the children and we go downstairs where Catherine and William are drinking their early morning tea in the kitchen." Unaware that the Wales family were sat downstairs, Alizée had walked into the kitchen in one of James's shirts.
© Getty"In situations like this, Alizée is wonderfully French," James noted. "She does not panic or rush upstairs to get dressed. Instead, she just greets everyone warmly as if it's not remotely unusual to be meeting her boyfriend's sister and brother-in-law for the first time wearing only an oversized man's shirt.'
After Prince George and Princess Charlotte began "asking all kinds of cheeky questions at 100 miles per hour," James added, "I tell Charlotte and George, yes, she is my girlfriend and introduce her to them, then we are all talking and laughing as if she has been part of the family for years."
