Carole Middleton’s "wistful" prediction for Alizée Thevenet came years before she became her daughter-in-law and it came true.
The Middleton family were thrust into the royal spotlight with Prince William and Kate’s wedding in 2011. Since then the Princess of Wales’s family have been spotted at plenty of high-profile occasions, from King Charles’s coronation to Royal Ascot. Meanwhile, Carole has previously been described as "indispensable" and used to often be seen driving up to Kensington Palace to help when Prince George, Charlotte and Louis were younger. Over the years Carole has remained very discreet about her family, however she has shared a few intriguing details.
One of these came in December 2018 when Carole Middleton’s "hope" for her son James and Alizée Thevenet was revealed. Speaking about her children and their partners, the she expressed a desire to have a "lovely" daughter-in-law.
Carole divulged to The Telegraph that her biggest fear as Kate, Pippa and James grew up was that she’d "lose [her] family" but she happily confirmed that they’ve "stayed close".
"I have two lovely sons-in-law and," she said before adding, in what the publication pondered could be a "wistful note", "I hope I’ll have a lovely daughter-in-law."
That same month as Carole shared her heartfelt hope for James, he and Alizée were photographed attending the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund's Christmas Carol Service at St Luke's Church. At the time Alizée made a concerted effort to keep her face away from the cameras and it wasn’t until May 2019 that James shared his first picture of them as a couple publicly on Instagram.
It was just five months later in October 2019 the Princess of Wales’s brother confirmed the news that Carole had been wishing for - that he and Alizée were engaged and she was going to have a "lovely daughter-in-law". James and Alizée first met at the South Kensington Club, reportedly in the summer of 2018, and he famously credited his late spaniel Ella for introducing them.
"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," he wrote in The Telegraph in 2021. "Rather embarrassed, I went over to apologise and bring Ella back. But 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."
James added, "Little did I know, but I had just met my future wife, all thanks to Ella."
He and Alizée tied the knot in France in September 2021 in a ceremony attended by all his nearest and dearest, including Prince William and Kate. For Mother’s Day in 2023, James shared a special photo of himself with Carole which reports have suggested could have been taken on his wedding day, with some claiming that he appears to be wearing the same suit.
Either way they looked relaxed and delighted and her son’s marriage in 2021 meant Carole’s hope came true in three years. Since then James and Alizée have welcomed their first child - a baby boy named Inigo.
Although fans have only been treated to a few glimpses of him, James’s most recent post on Instagram features little Inigo in his arms wearing a cute black beret, his face covered with a love heart emoji.
"Matching bérets to celebrate my Birthday," he wrote. "Surrounded by family, friends and of course my dogs".
The family seem happier than ever as they’ve settled into life in the Berkshire countryside as a family of three.
