James Middleton’s fiancée gets the royal approval
Love brought himb ack from the brink
As James Middleton celebrates his engagement, no one is more thrilled than his sister, the Duchess of Cambridge. The future Queen of England shed tears of pure joy for her youngest sibling, who is not only free of the deep depression that caused him to feel suicidal, but is now looking forward to a happy future with his French fiancée Alizee Thevenet.
“As far as Kate is concerned, James’ engagement is the icing on the cake,” a royal insider tells Woman’sDay.
“For more than a year he was in such a dark place, he shut out each and every member of his family. Kate sees Alizee as the magic ingredient he needed to make his life whole again.”
James, 32, went public with his mental health battle earlier this year, describing how he “couldn’t communicate even with those I loved best, my family and close friends ... It’s an illness, a cancer of the mind.”
A long period of intense therapy followed, but the real turning point in his life came one fateful day 15 months ago when finance expert Alizee stopped to pat his cocker spaniel Ella at a London business club, where they were both having meetings.
They soon began dating and,
tells our source, “As soon as James introduced Alizee to Kate, she knew she was The One.
“Since then Kate and Alizee have built an incredibly strong bond. Kate was referring to Alizee as her ‘sister-in-law’ even before the engagement! They go on secret skiing weekends together, take Pilates sessions and have ‘sister nights’ with Pippa, where they cook, drink wine and watch movies.
“Kate’s seen first-hand just how supportive and instrumental Alizee has been in James’ recovery. His entire outlook on life has changed and for Kate it’s been wonderful to watch.”
Determined to break the “taboo” of talking about suicidal feelings, James spoke out again last week about his battle with depression, which started in 2016 when his Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) began to impact his ability to run his businesses.
With his self-confidence at an all-time low, he spiralled into a pit of despair and stopped talking to his family. The concerned Middletons eventually asked his friends to intervene, but even that didn’t work.
“I remember my friends turned up one morning and rang the doorbell. I saw it was them and I just didn’t answer the door. And they rang it again. They rang my phone. I was like, ‘I’m not answering.’ I thought, ‘What am I going to do? What are they going to say?’ I understood that they cared about me, but I couldn’t see what they were going to do for me.”
It was more than a year before he finally reached out to seek help and when a mental health specialist asked if he was having suicidal thoughts, he recalls, “I remember thinking I might have to answer this one truthfully because I want them to help me.”
Therapy, he said, was like, “sitting in a chair with a ball of wool made up of eight different colours and then a therapist is sitting opposite you with a needle, untangling it.”
His immediate family – father Michael, 70, mother Carole, 64, and sisters Kate, 37, and Pippa, 36 – attended some of his therapy sessions and, he says, “that was actually a very, very big thing. It helped them understand me and how my mind was working.”
It was halfway through 2018 when a recovering James met trilingual Alizee, 29, who grew up in Germany, Indonesia, Chile, France and England, and has a master’s degree in investment and finance.
“Alizee has helped to pull James out of a very dark place,” says our source. “He credits her with helping him to see the light again.”
James, a nature lover who owns nine dogs, including five cocker spaniels, proposed in England’s picturesque Lake District last month.
“It was extremely low-key but very romantic,” says our source. “James covered their country cottage with candles and flowers, setting up a feast of Alizee’s favourite French cheeses paired with wines from the vineyards close to her family home. Around each bottle he wrapped little messages telling her why he loves her.
“He then got down on one knee and they were both in tears as he told her how she’d saved his life and that he couldn’t wait to make babies with her.”
James, who these days runs a personalised greeting card company called Boomf, slid a diamond-encrusted sapphire ring – similar to the engagement sparkler Prince William gave Kate in 2010 – on to Alizee’s finger, and the pair are now planning their nuptials.
“Alizee is very keen to marry in France,” says our source. “They’re aiming for next spring or summer.”
James has already spoken to Kate and William, 37, about including Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and one-year-old Prince Louis in the wedding party.
“James has never been happier,” says the source, “and Kate is overjoyed that he’s found his perfect match in Alizee.”