James Middleton’s Now-Wife Alizee Thought He Was a Waiter at First

Kate Middleton’s younger brother, James Middleton, married Alizee Thevenet (opens in new tab) earlier this month in a ceremony at a beautiful French village on the Cote D’Azure. It sounds like the stuff of fairytale romances: Prince William, Kate, and their kids were in attendance—as were the rest of the Middleton crew, of course—and the couple had their dogs, Ella and Mabel, act as flower girls. That last part is important, because without the help of James’s dog Ella, he may never have met his now-wife.

This story, which comes from royal expert Zoe Forsey on the podcast, Pod Save the Queen (opens in new tab) (and caught by Express (opens in new tab)) is a truly classic meet-cute. Back in 2018, James and Alizee were both at the same “fancy private members club” in London, according to Forsey, and James had brought Ella along with him. Though she was initially being a good dog, sitting at James’s feet, she got up to get a drink of water and “was distracted” by a woman in the corner of the bar, so she went over to say a doggy hello. The woman, of course, was Thevenet.

But here’s the best part: When James went up to apologize for the puppy intrusion, according to Forsey, “Alizee actually thought he was a waiter and just ordered a drink.” Obviously the mistake was sorted out, and the pair got engaged in 2019.

The wedding this month was a long time coming, as the couple had to postpone their wedding several times because of the pandemic lockdown. Thevenet wore her mother-in-law Carole’s wedding dress to her own wedding, telling Hello! Magazine (opens in new tab), “It always troubled me that wedding dresses are worn once and so it was amazing to give such a beautiful dress a second lease of life.”

How sweet is that?