A Complete Timeline Of James Middleton And Alizee Thevenet's Relationship
The following article mentions mental health struggles.
When Alizee Thevenet first met James Middleton, it wasn't because she was running in royal circles. Rather, she was just relaxing at the South Kensington Club when Middleton casually strolled into her life.
Though she's not the blood relative of a royal, Thevenet still had an exciting childhood. She grew up in Germany, Indonesia, Chile, France, Belgium, and finally, England; perhaps unsurprisingly, she can speak several languages. Thevenet obtained a master's degree in finance and investment from London's Queen Mary University and went on to work as a financial analyst.
While James Middleton isn't an official member of the royal family, he is the brother of the future queen, Princess Catherine. This association hasn't always made his life easy, and the media had a field day scrutinizing his every move. Behind the scenes, Middleton was also dealing with dyslexia, ADD, and clinical depression. When he met Thevenet, he had just managed to crawl out of a very dark hole, and his life instantly changed. He told The Telegraph in 2019 that he still cannot believe how "lucky" he is. Thevenet, bless her, had no idea who Middleton was when she first met him. The start of their love story sounds like something straight from a Disney movie, and so far, it seems that it's playing out like one too. Read on for a complete timeline of the couple's relationship.
2018: James Middleton's dog introduces him to Alizee Thevenet
To say that James Middleton loves his dogs is an understatement. He told The Telegraph that his cocker spaniel, Ella, helped him during the darkest times in his life when he was dealing with severe depression. "Ella is an emotional support dog for me," he said. "I have such confidence when I am with her." It's no surprise, then, that Ella is the reason Middleton met Alizee Thevenet. Aside from being great at bringing her human joy, Ella is also an excellent matchmaker. In 2018, she picked Thevenet out of a crowd, leading Middleton straight to her.
Middleton was having a meeting at the South Kensington Club, and Thevenet happened to be there too on that particular day. Knowing that Ella was a well-behaved dog, Middleton let her wander a bit. Meanwhile, Ella was busy sniffing out Middleton's wife-to-be. "Ella was lying at my feet under the table; realizing she might want some water, I trusted her to take herself to the water bowl across the terrace. However, she made a beeline for Alizee. Rather embarrassed, I went over to apologize and bring Ella back," Middleton revealed in a piece he wrote for The Telegraph in 2021. Thevenet was more than happy with Ella's attention and immediately bonded with her. When Middleton approached, Thevenet assumed he was the waiter before realizing he was Ella's owner. The two hit it off, and it was the start of what would become a beautiful love story.
2019: James Middleton invites Alizee Thevenet on vacation
James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet kept their relationship private for quite some time before announcing it to the world. While the two first met in 2018, Middleton only made their relationship Instagram official in May 2019 when he posted a snap of them smiling on a yacht. It was captioned, "Sail away with me." Those three words were enough to let the world know that Middleton was no longer a single man.
Prior to Middleton making their relationship official on social media, he and Thevenet went on vacation with his sister Pippa Middleton and her husband in St. Barts. The media had been very curious about Thevenet's identity before the pictures of the trip surfaced. In December 2018, Thevenet was spotted on Middleton's arm while they made their way to St. Luke's Church for the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund's Christmas Carol Service. Meghan Markle was also present at the event, so naturally, photographers were everywhere. When Thevenet and Middleton left the church, the latter made sure to hide her face from the cameras, and so more speculation about Middleton's mystery woman ensued. She remained a mystery until the St. Barts trip, when the media finally found out who she was.
2019: Alizee Thevenet says yes
The public had barely gotten used to the idea that James Middleton was dating Alizee Thevenet when word got out that the couple was engaged. Two days before Middleton announced the news on Instagram, the Daily Mail ran a story about the engagement after one of Middleton's friends spilled the beans to one of its reporters. "They've been keeping the engagement secret, but news has started to leak out among their friends. They'll be announcing it formally next week," the friend said. Well, Middleton announced it on Instagram two days after the story broke, captioning the post, "She said OUI. Our secret is out but we couldn't be happier to share the news."
In the picture, Thevenet could be seen donning a gorgeous sapphire ring. Many speculated that Middleton drew some inspiration from his sister, Princess Catherine's sapphire ring, which used to belong to Princess Diana. Speaking to Hello!, jeweler Susannah Lovis offered some more details about the stunning piece of jewelry. "Alizee's engagement ring is an impressive 4.5 to 5 carat emerald cut sapphire. It is elegantly flanked by baguette diamonds in the Art Deco style and most probably set in platinum. If this were a Burmese Sapphire then it would have cost in the region of £30,000 to £50,000 [$38,000 - $63,000]," Lovis said. Clearly, Middleton pulled out all the stops for his wife-to-be.
2020: James and Alizee welcome their first dog babies
2020 was certainly a difficult year across the globe, but James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet were blessed with six puppies in the midst of the pandemic. After Middleton's dog Luna gave birth, he took to Instagram to share the news in May. He revealed that after he and Thevenet helped Luna to deliver three puppies at home, they took her to the vet where she gave birth to four more via c-section. One of the seven puppies did not survive. It was the first litter Middleton welcomed since he and Thevenet got engaged.
Two months later, Middleton shared a family photo of him and Thevenet with their dogs and the new puppies (who by this time were ready to go to their new homes). In the shot, he and Thevenet each held three pups with their other dogs surrounding them. "56 days ago you were born, 56 days of early starts, lots of poo and half-eaten socks but 56 days of pure joy watching you grow. But now it's time for you [to] go," Middleton captioned the Instagram post. He admitted that it was hard to let the pups go, but he was excited for them to begin their new chapters with their new families.
2020: They celebrate their first engagement anniversary on a yacht
When you have to postpone your wedding because of a pandemic, you go all out to celebrate your first engagement anniversary. That's exactly what James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet did.
The couple was spotted having fun in the sunshine on a yacht in Italy. Earlier in the year, Middleton went to great lengths to treat Thevenet to a special date night. He spoiled his fiancee with a picnic, which included the dogs and a special gift. Middleton posted snaps of the date to Instagram, and between the comfy picnic blanket, the couple's dogs, and the flowers, it clearly was the perfect night.
The trip to Italy to celebrate their anniversary was just as special. In some pictures Middleton shared on Instagram, Thevenet could be seen trying her hand at steering the boat. "It's a year since I asked Alizee to marry me... what a year it's been!" Middleton captioned the post. He then proceeded to list all the things the two of them had accomplished since, including welcoming a litter of puppies, trying to organize a wedding, and undergoing multiple moves. "The best part is that I get to share it with you @alizeethevenet and I can't wait to take on whatever the future holds for us," he concluded.
2021: Alizee Thevenet and James Middleton become homeowners
In 2021, James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet bought their first home, and the couple ensured it catered to their dogs. Middleton and Thevenet initially lived in London, but city life didn't really fit the couple's lifestyle, and they started looking for houses outside the city and found the perfect one in the English countryside. "My fiancée, Alizée Thevenet, and I have decided to escape city life for good," Middleton shared in an article he wrote for The Telegraph in 2021, adding that they could hardly wait to get the keys to their new house. "We are country people and love going out for long walks, but one of the key reasons we wanted to live in the countryside was our six dogs," Middleton wrote.
The four-bedroom house located in Bucklebury cost the couple a whopping £1.45 million (about $1,8 million), and Middleton confessed in an Instagram post that becoming a homeowner is not for the faint-hearted. "I think buying a house is up there with one of the most stressful experiences in my life," he wrote. The post also offered a glimpse of James Middleton's almost $2 million mansion. "It's been a hectic few months moving in to [sic] our new home & we couldn't be happier. We are settling into our life in the country & the dogs [love] their new home."
2021: Alizee Thevenet and James Middleton finally tie the knot
James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet managed to keep their nuptials relatively private. Speaking to The Telegraph in 2019, Middleton said that he and Thevenet were set on keeping their big day small. "We're a pretty relaxed couple. ... I've had enough of big weddings!" he joked. His oldest sister Princess Catherine's wedding to Prince William was as elaborate as can be; middle sister Pippa Middleton's wedding to James Matthew was a major event as well. Middleton was opting for the path less traveled, and the result was a small wedding in southeastern France.
Middleton shared a snap of him and Thevenet on their wedding day to Instagram with one of his dogs photobombing them in the background. "Mr & Mrs Middleton," he captioned the post. "Yesterday I married the love of my life surrounded by family, friends and of course a few dogs in the beautiful village of Bormes-les-Mimosas. Words cannot describe how happy I am."
The couple's officiant, François Arizzi, spilled some details of the small wedding to People, revealing that Catherine and William, along with their three children, were in attendance. "It was a very nice and very family ceremony," he said, adding that the wedding was kept very small with only about 50 guests in attendance. "Everything was organized with the utmost discretion," Arizzi said.
2022: They honor their first wedding anniversary in a somber way
When James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet's first wedding anniversary rolled around, they chose to celebrate it in a rather unexpected way on Instagram. Instead of sharing a snap of the two of them, Middleton opted to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by sharing an image of her and Prince Philip on their wedding day in 1947. His reason for doing so was because his and Thevenet's first wedding anniversary was on September 11, 2022; the queen had died just a few days prior on September 8.
"Today is our 1st wedding anniversary, however, it doesn't seem right to celebrate while mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II," Middleton captioned the post. "Instead I'm sharing a photo of the marriage of the Queen & the Duke of Edinburgh on their wedding 74 years ago. To my darling Alizee I look forward to sharing as many with you in our lifetime." We're not crying, you're crying.
2022: The two become dog parents once again
In 2022, James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet welcomed a litter of eight puppies, courtesy of Mabel, a golden retriever. Middleton took to Instagram to share the news on International Dog Day. The post, featuring a video of Mabel and her pups, was enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. Two months later, Middleton shared another Instagram post, revealing that he and Thevenet had kept one of Mabel's pups; the rest went to other loving homes. "Introducing Isla. Her name is a little nod to her Scottish routes [sic] and has already found her place in the pack," he captioned the image, which featured Thevenet with Mabel and Isla. Interestingly enough, the new pup shared a name with one of Princess Anne's grandchildren, Isla Phillips.
On his blog, James & Ella, Middleton shared that he and Thevenet had selected one of Mabel's pups to receive training to become a guide dog for someone who is visually impaired. The pup, who goes by Bertie, was set to start training soon. "If he's successful in his training, Bertie will be paired with his potential new companion," James wrote, explaining that the cost of training a guide dog was astronomical and that he'd started a JustGiving page to help raise the funds needed.
2023: Alizee Thevenet becomes pregnant with her first child
After welcoming several puppies since they got married, James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet had some more exciting news. In July 2023, Middleton announced their first baby was on the way. Sharing a picture of Thevenet cradling her baby bump with Mabel by her side on Instagram, Middleton wrote, "We couldn't be more excited ... well Mable might be. It was a very difficult start to the year after losing my beloved Ella [his first dog] however we will end the year with the most precious little addition to our growing family."
Middleton also shared the news on his company Ella & Co's Instagram page. This post featured an image of Thevenet's baby bump with the couple's two golden retrievers excitedly looking up at her. "We have a new member of the pack coming soon, we couldn't be more excited," he captioned the post.
2023: Alizee Thevenet and James Middleton welcome their baby son
Somewhere in October 2023, James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet welcomed their son, Inigo, to the world. The couple kept their baby's birth very private, but Middleton couldn't help but gush about his newborn on Instagram once the dust began to settle. "He has been in our lives for just a few weeks but they have been the most special of my life getting to know our beautiful baby boy," Middleton wrote. "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."
The accompanying picture showed Inigo's little hand holding a small photograph of Middleon's beloved dog, Ella. "I've told him all about Ella and that if it wasn't for her he wouldn't be here today and that we miss her greatly," Middleton wrote, adding that all the dogs were excited about the family's latest addition. The new dad also used the opportunity to thank the hospital staff who looked after Thevenet and the baby.
The new family of three made their debut that December at the Dogs Trust Carol Concert at Chelsea Old Church in London. Aside from bringing their son, the couple was also accompanied by their two golden retrievers, Mabel and Isla.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.