Why James Middleton's Marriage Just Seems Off

Kate Middleton's brother James Middleton had multiple shady moments in the past before settling down and marrying Alizee Thevenet. Even though James seems to have left his troublesome behavior in the rearview, the couple had difficulties making it to the altar. They were engaged in October 2019 and remained so a year later as James revealed in an Instagram post honoring the engagement. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions, the pair had to postpone their wedding twice. Delaying the nuptials on several occasions is never a good sign, and wound up having heartbreaking consequences for their wedding.

Two years after popping the question, James finally had his wedding in September 2021. Even though Kate and Prince William were in attendance, it was a rather low-key affair. The couple said their "I dos" at the town hall of Bormes-les-Mimosas in France where the town's mayor, François Arizzi, officiated their wedding. "The bride and groom were very happy, they were able to pose and take pictures in front of the town hall," Arizzi told the local outlet, Var Matin, days after the nuptials. "They then went to a private venue to celebrate," he added. Sadly, it was a bittersweet day for Alizee, as her father, Jean-Gabriel Thevenet had died five months earlier. "I know that Alizee wanted her father to be there too. But it wasn't to be. They had to delay the wedding twice and it was too late for him," a source told the Daily Mail shortly after the wedding in 2021.

Even before they were married there were signs that the marriage could seem off. Leading up to the wedding, James had opened up to the public about his personal issues.

That same year that he proposed to Alizee Thevenet, James Middleton wrote a personal essay for the Daily Mail that detailed his struggles with finding mental wellness. The tragic truth about Kate Middleton's brother was that he had long suffered from depression. "I couldn't communicate, even with those I loved best: my family and close friends," he wrote in the January 2019 piece, also opening up about being dyslexic and having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. James had learned to cope with these conditions but was candid about their impact on his life. Some experts believed that James's depression was partially linked to reconciling his middle-class upbringing with being the brother of royalty, and how that affected his romantic life.

Relationship coach Emma Pruen spoke about James's struggles in April 2023. "Any marriage requires a big adjustment as we merge two social or belief systems," Pruen told Express. Even though James appeared "much happier" with his wife, he still brought up the negative past quite often. Shortly after getting engaged, James spoke to The Telegraph about his issues with depression. 

A month later he posted his "first family photo" to Instagram with his then-fiancée and dog. "Not that long ago I had forgotten what it was like to laugh with genuine happiness — today I don't have to pretend to smile," he wrote. It seems he could have shared the sweet family snap in a separate post from the one centering on his dark past. That was not the last time James would celebrate a happy occasion with a reference to a sad event.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary in September 2022. Naturally, Middleton took to Instagram to mention the occasion, but his choice of photo was not what many would have expected. The couple's anniversary fell on September 11, but Queen Elizabeth II had died only days earlier. "Today is our 1st wedding anniversary however it doesn't seem right to celebrate while mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II," he wrote. In lieu of a snap with his wife, James opted to post a black and white photo from Queen Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip. 

A few Instagram users were confused by that approach. "I think you should need to share yours not other," one commented. It was strange to bring up death in an anniversary post, and perhaps just skipping the post altogether would have been more prudent. 

Two years later, Middleton once again took to Instagram to celebrate his anniversary with Thevenet in September 2024. That time he included a photo of the couple kissing on their wedding day while standing next to two of their dogs. "Our third as husband & wife, our second without Ella but our first as parents," he wrote in the caption. Ella was the name of their beloved dog who had died. Once again, an anniversary celebration post from Middleton was framed around the passing of a family member.