The following article references depression and suicide.
He gave the only reading at the historic royal wedding.
Yet there’s much more to James Middleton outside of his ties to his famous royal sister.
However, she is but one piece of the Middleton puzzle.
Here’s what you gotta know about the transformation of her younger sibling James Middleton.
His father, Michael Middleton, came from a wealthy family, some of whom were involved in aristocracy.
He met his wife, then known as Carole Goldsmith, when they both worked for British Airways.
James also shared that, for better or worse, his sisters kept a close eye on him.
“I have always joked that I have three mothers.
I couldn’t get away with anything as a kid,” he said.
While they weren’t royals, the Middletons grew up comfortably.
All of the children attended upscale private schools in Great Britain, such as St Andrews Preparatory School.
However, higher education wasn’t the right fit for James, so he rerouted.
James left Edinburgh after a year to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams.
He started with a mail-order cake business called The Cake Kit Company.
As the name suggests, customers could order ready-made cake mixes directly to their homes.
He later founded a specialty marshmallow company, as well as a wine company.
Unfortunately, all three businesses folded by 2015.
However, this wouldn’t be the last time Middleton would try his hand and entrepreneurship.
James seemingly followed in his mom’s footsteps.
Carole Middleton founded her own business in 1987 called Party Pieces.
Like James' former The Cake Kit Company, Party Pieces is a mail-order party supply shop.
(When James launched The Cake Kit Company, he offered his product through Party Pieces.)
On the contrary, the sudden fame and public scrutiny proved to be extra challenging for the younger Middleton.
“That does put pressure on you.
Because in my mind I’m doing this irrespective of my family and events that have happened.”
“I know I’m richly blessed and live a privileged life,” he wrote.
“But it did not make me immune to depression.
It is an illness, a cancer of the mind.”
It was there that he decided he needed to get help.
“I knew if I accepted help there would be hope,” he wrote.
“It was a tiny spark of light in the darkness.”
“So it wouldn’t be honest to suppress my story.”
He hopes to use his platform for the cause, too.
After coming to terms with his mental health, Middleton sought help, including cognitive behavioral therapy.
As he said in Tatler, “I feel like James Middleton again.
I feel like I was when I was 13, excited about life.
I feel like myself again and I couldn’t ask for more.”
ADD is commonly diagnosed in adulthood, as was the case with Middleton.
“It explained so much,” he wrote.
Middleton received his diagnosis around the time he was also undergoing treatment following his 2017 mental health crisis.
And by all accounts, he embraces his ADD diagnosis.
“I also see my ADD as a gift: it accounts for my creativity and emotional intensity.
Clearly, this is a cause near and dear to Middleton’s heart.
On his currentcompany website, he describes how dogs have helped him with his own mental health.
Ella had a key role with Pets as Therapy, as she would accompany Middleton on visits.
“She made people smile.”
This was evident when, in 2020, Middleton established a dog food company.
The company was originally called Ella & Co, though Middleton changed the name in 2023.
On top of all that, she played a key role in Middleton’s love life, too.
It just so happened that Thevent was a dog lover, too.
In 2019, Middleton and Thevent made it IG official.
Oh and, the month before they walked down the aisle?
Middleton and Thevent took another big step: They bought a house.
And with that, Middleton and Thevent started a new life together.
And yes, that new life definitely has included a bunch of dogs.
Ella had been in Middleton’s life since 2008.
After she died, Middleton changed the name of his company from Ella & Co to James & Ella.
“Invitations were always addressed to ‘James and Ella,'” he said.
Middleton also shared that his family was there for Ella’s burial.
“She meant something to all of them too,” he wrote.
James shared the announcement onInstagramalongside a photo of a visibly pregnant Thevenet with their dog Mable.
Not a bad way to celebrate, eh?
And yes, James and Thevenet’s child will be welcomed by the family’s six pooches.
“I know the dogs are very much excited.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.
Call or text 988 or chat988lifeline.org
