James Middleton and Alizée Thevenet Are Expecting Their First Child

James Middleton—noted beekeeper, dog lover, mental health advocate, and brother of Princess Kate—made a major announcement on Instagram Wednesday. After two years of marriage, he and wife Alizée Thevenet are expecting a child. 

Naturally, Middleton worked his dog Mable into the announcement. “We couldn’t be more excited,” he captioned a photo of Thevenet playing with one of the couple’s six dogs. “Well, Mable might be.” He also mentioned the recent loss of his cocker spaniel, Ella, who died in January. “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.”

On the account for the healthy pet food company he named after Ella, he added, “We have a new member of the pack coming soon, we couldn’t be more excited.”

Thevenet and Middleton started dating in 2018 and tied the knot in a small Cote d’Azur ceremony in September 2021. The new Middleton will be the seventh grandchild born to Carole and Michael Middleton, and will be a first cousin to Kate’s children with Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis and Pippa Middleton Matthew’s three children with her husband James Matthews, Arthur, Grace, and Rose. 

In a recent interview with OK! Magazine, James praised his sister for her work promoting early childhood education, and shared a few thoughts on what he thinks about a child’s earliest years. “The things you know in your early childhood that you might not mentally remember—emotionally and physically you can remember them but they stay with you because you’re told them and you build on them,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

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