As he plays with Hartley, a muscular and boisterous foxhound cross looking for a new home, it is clear that James Middleton is in his comfort zone. James turns to HELLO!'s photographer in our exclusive shoot at the Dogs Trust's centre near his home in Berkshire and asks: "Do you want a picture of him pushing me over?" It is not to be. Hartley is content with giving the future queen’s brother a thorough sniff.
It is apt that James is highlighting the Dogs Trust Christmas campaign to give pets their "happy place". An ambassador for the dog rehoming charity, he is evangelical about our four-legged friends. He credits Ella, his now departed cocker spaniel, with saving him from clinical depression, acting as canine matchmaker to his wife Alizee and thus ushering in the birth of their son Inigo, now two.
© Tom JamiesonBrief encounter
Alizee, a French-born financial analyst, met James in 2018 when he was rebuilding his confidence. He was not looking for love and, indeed, when he approached her table at a London private member's club to retrieve Ella, nor was she. Seeing a menu in James’s hand, she mistook him for a waiter and ordered a sauvignon blanc and a pinot noir.
The first time she realised he was not a waiter – merely a man wanting his dog back – was when she received a note saying that James had paid for her drinks and left his number. Three years later, they were married. He says he still pinches himself thinking back to that incident. "If that moment hadn’t been seized, I wouldn’t have met my wife, I wouldn’t have my beautiful son. And my life could have taken a very different turn."
Inigo is reaping the benefits of having multilingual parents. "Alizee only speaks to him in French and I only speak to him in English, so he’s in that sort of Duolingo aspect of [being] slightly slower in speaking, but sentences will be half-French, half-English. It’s wonderful to watch."
James remains close to both of his sisters, regardless of Kate’s royal duties and Pippa’s family commitments to her husband, James Matthews, and their three children. Inigo happily benefits from their hand-me-downs.
'"We're really fortunate to be a very close family, and so we get together as a family relatively regularly, and love that opportunity"
"One of the wonderful things about being the youngest [sibling] and having children last is that there is an abundance of paraphernalia that comes in very handy," James says. "Also, it’s the confidence [they give me]. You’re always on edge with being a parent, particularly this time of year with coughs and colds and sniffles going around the place.
"They’re definitely at the end of the phone if we need a bit of advice. And equally, they know that I’m on the end of the phone if they need a bit of advice on managing their dogs."
Inigo is oblivious to the royal status of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. "I think we’re really fortunate to be a very close family, and so we get together as a family relatively regularly, and love that opportunity," says James. "There’s seven grandchildren, so six cousins for him, and it’s wonderful them spending time together and making memories."
© Tom JamiesonJames's dogs also have family connections. Lupo, one of Ella’s puppies, was a loyal companion to the Prince and Princess of Wales until his death in November 2020. The couple now have Orla, a black cocker spaniel also bred by James. Lupo and Orla are part of a longstanding royal affinity for dogs. Elizabeth II and George VI loved corgis and George V had collies and terriers.
Asked why the royal family seem to have such a love for dogs, James ponders.
Keepers of secrets
"I think it’s because dogs don’t care who you are. A dog looks at the King or Queen the same way that my dogs look at me. I think, in everyone’s life, they are the best secret-keepers. I don’t think dogs can tell a lie, because I always know which dog it is that’s maybe raided the bin, but they can’t tell your secrets."
James reaffirms that he and Alizee would welcome "the pitter-patter of two or four feet" – a new child or dog addition to their family – although he is not ready to announce anything. "Taking on a dog is a huge responsibility. You can’t just jump to it and then figure it out. You’ve got to plan appropriately and properly."
© Getty ImagesHe has taken time to record a Christmas message for Dogs Trust staff and is keen for HELLO! readers to engage with the charity’s Happy Place campaign, which draws attention to dogs ready for adoption. The Trust cares for 11,000 dogs a year across its network of 21 rehoming centres. As well as Hartley, who has been cared for by the Trust for almost six months, James plays with Andy Pandy, a labrador-spaniel cross who has been waiting a year and four months.
James – who wrote in his 2024 memoir Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life about how he questioned his will to carry on living – admires the way in which dogs live in the moment.
"I think dogs complete me in a way that I struggle to fully explain. I’ve written about my dog Ella and I still can’t quite pinpoint how it is that they complete me in that way, but I think it is their selflessness. They become part of you and that’s why losing a dog is so challenging, because you lose a little bit of yourself."
He looks at Mabel, Isla, Inca and Luna sitting beside him. "These dogs aren't thinking: 'What am I doing this afternoon?' They're just happy here."
© Tom JamiesonBest of friends
Inigo, he says, surprises him every day. "He wakes up and he doesn’t say, ‘Good morning’, he just says, ‘Where’s Mabel?’ He and Mabel are just the best of friends. He gives all the dogs a kiss in the morning. Walking into a room, he won’t go and sit down on a chair. He’ll go and sit with the dogs. That’s where he wants to be.
"Whenever he’s out with us, he’s always got a lead in his hand and unfortunately, he’s found my dog whistle. It’s a mixed blessing, because he loves it – but, equally, the noise of a high-pitched whistle at six in the morning is a bit aggressive."
For James, Inigo is the perfect legacy for his beloved dog. "I look at him, and I can’t help think of my wonderful dog, Ella, because none of it would have been possible if Ella hadn’t walked off that afternoon to go and say hi to Alizee."
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