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The Duchess of Cambridge’s brother has never really suited London life even though he’s lived in the sprawling capital for years.
James Middleton’s Instagram, for one, is peppered with pictures of him in the English countryside, usually with his menagerie of dogs and his French fiancée, Alizée Thevenet by his side.
So it comes as perhaps less of a surprise to learn that James (33) and Alizée (32) are preparing to leave London for full-time life away from the Big Smoke.
The couple have reportedly snapped up a home in the country although it’s still not clear whether it’s in Berkshire – where James and Kate’s parents, Carole and Mike Middleton, live in a sprawling country manor and where he and Alizée have spent most of lockdown – or elsewhere in the UK.
James recently wrote a column for The Telegraph where he spoke about ditching city life “for good”.
“We are counting down the days until we get the keys to our new home and can be reunited with our belongings, which have been in storage for almost a year now,” he wrote.
He added he and his partner are “country people who love going out for long walks”.
“But one of the key reasons we wanted to live in the countryside was our six dogs,” he concluded.
Referring to their time spent with his parents, he said, “Together with the dogs over the last year, we have probably walked or run every single footpath in West Berkshire – and there are a lot of them.”
In the column, the entrepreneur also opened up about how he has his oldest dog, Ella, to thank for introducing him to his future wife.
“The two of us, Ella and me, were at the South Kensington Club in Chelsea. Ella was lying at my feet under the table. Realising she might want some water, I trusted her to take herself over to the water bowl across the terrace.
“However, she made a beeline for Alizée. Rather embarrassed, I went over to apologise and bring Ella back. Alizée thought I was the waiter and ordered her drink while continuing to stroke Ella, who at this point was on her back lapping up the attention.
“Little did I know, I had just met my future wife – all thanks to Ella.”
He proposed in the picturesque Lake District in October 2019 but the pair have been forced to postpone their nuptials twice due to Covid-19.
They’re now hoping to get married later this year.
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, hellomagazine.com, Instagram
