Photo: James Middleton/Instagram
James Middletonis mourning the death of his beloved dogElla.
Kate Middleton’s younger brother shared the sad news onInstagramFriday, posting two black and white photos of the cocker spaniel.
“It is with great sadness that I announce my dear Ella has passed away,” James, 35, began the caption. “For 15 years Ella has been at my side, from my darkest days to my happiest. I’m going to miss her terribly.”
“Ella had a very short illness, she slipped away in my arms at home and is now buried in the garden alongside [the late family dog] Tilly,” he continued. “I took this picture just a few hours before she died.”
“I’m just about holding it together to write this, and despite the fact I knew this day was coming, it doesn’t make it any easier,” James wrote. “Goodnight my darling Ella,[my wife] Alizeeand the dogs will take good care of me.”
Ella was the first dog James owned in adulthood, and he previously credited the sweet spaniel as his strength while struggling with depression. While appearing on the BBC’sSunday Morning Livein 2020, James revealed that Ellacame alongto his therapy sessions, which made all the difference.
“I would go so far as to say that I owe Ella my life, and she doesn’t know that,” he added.
James Middleton and his dogs.Kirsty O’Connor/Getty Images
When James launched his all-natural pet food company in 2020, he named it Ella & Co. in her honor.
“I founded Ella & Co, a happiness and wellbeing company for dogs, as a way of giving back to my dogs that have done so much for me,” he said on thewebsite, where he celebrated Ella as his “teacher, therapist and best friend.”
James Shaw/Shutterstock
In a nod to their tight bond, James previously brought Ella as hisplus-oneto theGQMen of the Year Awards, and even credited the dog for introducing him to his wife, Alizee Thevenet.
James and Alizee met in 2018, got engaged the following year, and tied the knot in France in 2021. In an essay forThe Telegraph, James opened up about how Ella brought them together.
James Middleton/Instagram
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“The two of us were at the South Kensington Club in Chelsea,” he wrote in 2021. “Ella was lying at my feet under the table; realising 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.”
According to the story, Alizee thought James was a server, and ordered a drink while petting the dog.
“Little did I know, I had just met my future wife, all thanks to Ella,” he said. “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.”
James and Alizee own six other dogs — Zulu, Inka, Luna, Mabel, Nala, and Isla.
In another family tie, Ella was the mother ofLupo, the black cocker spanielPrince WilliamandKate Middletonowned and loved for nine years, until the dog’s death in November 2020.
“Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away,” the Prince and Princess of Wales said in astatementat the time. “He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much.”
PEOPLEpreviously confirmedthat Prince William and Princess Kate got another new puppy from James before Lupo died. The black cocker spaniel joinedPrincess Charlottein one of the young royal’s7th birthday portraitslast year, where her name was revealed asOrla.
The name is especially fitting for a royal pet — in Celtic, Orla means “golden princess.”
source: people.com
