Queen Elizabeth II found a unique way of bonding with Princess Kate’s younger brother, James Middleton, he has revealed in his new memoir Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, which hit shelves on September 26.
Middleton touched upon some international fame when he performed a bible reading in front of an estimated global audience of over a billion people during the 2011 wedding of his sister, Kate, and Prince William.
In his book, Middleton has presented a raw and unfiltered account of his life dealing with mental health challenges, which led to a diagnosis of clinical depression after contemplating suicide in 2017.
The memoir is dedicated to the memory of his beloved dog, a black spaniel named “Ella,” whom he credits with giving him the motivation and support to seek professional mental health help.
There are lighter moments and anecdotes too, from royal wedding nerves to a humorous visit to Highgrove where Ella interrupted a royal bath.
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Middleton has also revealed for the first time his relationship with the late queen whom he described as having filled the “granny-sized void” in his life following the deaths of his own grandparents when he was a teenager.
He describes how he bonded with the monarch over their shared love of dogs, and more specifically a shared knowledge about the spaniel breed.
“Everyone knows about her corgis, but few are aware that she also had a line of spaniels,” he wrote.
“One lunchtime we became engrossed in a long conversation about them, and I was thrilled to discover she was extremely knowledgeable about the breed. She was always kind and solicitous about my dogs. ‘Have you taken Ella out, James?’ or ‘Are your dogs happy?’ she’d ask with genuine concern.”
This concern extended to Christmasses where the Middletons were invited to stay with the queen at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England.
Usually following strict tradition and house rules, Middleton revealed that the monarch gave Ella “unprecedented privileges,” knowing how important she was to him.
“‘Did you get my message, James?’ she asked me the first time I visited,” he wrote.
“‘Ella is welcome to stay in your room.’ I couldn’t contain my surprise and delight. How thoughtful of the Queen to make a special concession for Ella.”
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At Sandringham, the pair would do jigsaw puzzles together as other family members gathered to take part in seasonal activities around them.
Writing about the monarch’s death in 2022, Middleton said it was his mother, Carole, who broke the news to him over the phone at a charity event.
“I remembered learning about her in school, and as I watched her funeral, with Ella on my lap, I was overawed by the spectacle,” he said. “But what caught me off guard and made me cry was the moment when the procession passed her pony and her adored corgis. The Queen’s animals, this sense that they too had lost someone so dear to them, was what prompted my tears.”
Middleton revealed that he named one of his puppies entering guide dog training “Bertie” in her memory—the family nickname given to the queen’s beloved father, King George VI.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
‘Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life’ by James Middleton is published in the United States by Pegasus Books and released on September 26.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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