James Middleton Predicts Son's First Words as He Celebrates Inigo's First Birthday

The younger brother of Kate Middleton spoke about his new memoir, "Meet Ella," at the Henley Literary Festival on Sept. 29

James Middleton is excited for his son Inigo's big milestone moments — especially his first words.

The younger brother of Kate Middleton appeared in front of a live audience for the first time on Sept. 29 at the Henley Literary Festival to promote his memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, which came out on Sept. 24 in the U.S. and in the U.K. on Sept. 26.

“I think his first word is going to be tractor or dog,” James, 37, revealed.

Inigo, whom James shares with wife Alizee Thevenet, celebrated his first birthday on Saturday, Sept. 21, James said. While he didn’t open up about any details surrounding the celebrations, he did confirm another milestone — that the newly minted one-year-old is crawling.

“I think he thinks he’s a dog!" James said, adding his home is filled with "six dogs in the house and him pretty much walking on all fours most of the time.”

In addition to learning Inigo's exact birthday, James revealed in Meet Ella what his son's middle name is: Gabriel.

"Inigo means fiery, ardent, although he is peaceful now," James wrote. "Gabriel is in memory of his grandfather, Alizee's papa. It is a small tribute and we look forward to sharing lots of stories about his French granddad too."

Joining James on stage were three of his dogs: Inka, Mabel and Isla. While at the event, he reminisced about the impact Ella (his cocker spaniel who passed away at 15 years old in January 2023) had on his life, including introducing him to his future wife, therefore making him a dad. Of Inigo, he said, “His existence is purely because of her [Inka’s] mother Ella.”

Of meeting Alizee, he shared, “I had been at a bar in London. I had a meeting, and that meeting had finished and I was feeling joyous. I wouldn’t normally have done it, but I wanted a beer. Ella was there, but she had wandered off. There was this girl with long blonde hair with her back to me and I look 'round and Ella was upside down and this girl was stroking Ella’s belly.”

“I said, 'I’m really sorry, but I hope Ella isn’t bothering you,' " he continued. "And this incredibly beautiful woman looked back at me and, in the most incredible French accent, basically said, 'No, but we’re still waiting for our drinks. Could we have a Pinot noir and a Sauvignon blanc?’ So I said, 'Okay, I’ll go and get them.' "

After ordering the drinks, James sat back down and let the waiter deliver the drinks — but Ella didn’t return. After James finished his drink, he decided to write Alizee a note, a piece of their history the couple clearly treasure, as he brought with him to the event and read it out loud to the audience.

"Hi, I usually don’t do this sort of thing," he read. "In fact, this is the first time that I have, and I realize it's slightly more difficult to figure out what to say than I thought. Anyhow, here goes. I have no idea if I am barking up the wrong tree, and forgive me if I am, but I was wondering if you might like to go for a drink sometime, or maybe in the future — and here is my number. It would be lovely to hear from you and absolutely no pressure to reply, but I hope you have a lovely evening. James and Ella (dog).”

The following evening Alizee texted him back, and they met a few days later. “Fast forward a few years, we got married, moved into our now home, onto a little farm which was one of the first conversations that we had, this dream about moving to the countryside, being self-sufficient on a little farm — and a one-year-old son,” James said.

In the hour-long interview on Sept. 29 with Bryony Gordon, a journalist, mental health campaigner and friend of Prince Harry, James talked openly about his struggles with depression and how his beloved dog Ella literally saved his life one night when he was struggling with suicidal thoughts. During the chat, he said several times how close he is to his family, and how his older sisters Kate and Pippa both tried to help him.

“On the outside I was pretending to be James Middleton, what people saw me to be, but on the inside I had completely lost my sense of identity, who I was, what I was working towards, what my future was and what brought me happiness," he said. "I was in a very lost place.”

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