princess kateyounger brother of james middletonand his wife, elize thevenetare expecting their first child.

Middleton, 36, wrote, “We couldn’t be more excited… to be good Mabel ❤️” Instagram on Wednesday, July 5, with two photos of Thevenet showing off her baby bump while posing with one of the couple’s dogs.

The father-to-be added: “It was a tough start to the year with the loss of my lovely Ella, however we will end the year with the most precious little addition to our growing family.”

Middleton – who married Thevenet in 2021 – announced the death of her therapy dog ​​Ella via Instagram in January.

“It is with great sadness that we have to inform that my dear Ella has passed away. For 15 years Ella has been with me, from my worst days to my happiest days. I will miss him dearly,” he wrote at the time, noting that his canine companion “slipped into my arms at home” after battling “a very short illness.”

Middleton has spoken openly in the past about how Ella helped her cope with her diagnosis of major depressive disorder.

“I got this diagnosis and Ella came to all my therapy sessions, which I was reluctant to go to. [to] From the beginning,” he said during an appearance on the BBC in August 2020 sunday morning live, “But having her with me, I became really confident in understanding that I have a mental illness. … I might even say that I owe my life to Ella, and she doesn’t know it.

The emotional support animal is also an integral part of Middleton and his wife’s love story. In 2018, Ella ran into then-stranger Thevenet while visiting the South Kensington club in Chelsea, London, with Middleton.

“Instead of being embarrassed, I went to apologize and bring Ella back,” the businessman explained. Wire In March 2021. “Little did I know, but I had recently met my future wife thanks to Ella. If I hadn’t trusted Ella, I wouldn’t have brought her to the South Kensington Club and she wouldn’t have been able to say hello to the woman who became my fiancee.”

The Ella & Co founder became the last of his siblings to get married in 2021. kate got married Prince William In 2011 when his sister, Pippa Middletonexchanged vows with james mathews In 2017. James is uncle to three of Kate and William’s children – Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 – and Pippa, 39, and James’ three children – Arthur, 4, Grace, 2, and Rose, 12 months.

“I just want to be the best uncle ever,” the businessman said during an appearance in 2014. good Morning America When the Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant with Charlotte. “Like anyone who wants to be an uncle, I want to be a cool uncle. Funny uncle… I will always try to do the same.”