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This Christmas was a bittersweet one for the Princess of Wales ’ brother. Monday marked James Middleton ’s first Christmas without his beloved dog Ella, but also his first one as a dad.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis’ maternal uncle commemorated the holiday on Dec. 25 with a photo of his Christmas tree featuring a picture of his late dog Ella—whose death he announced back in January—on top of it, followed by an adorable snapshot of himself cradling his son Inigo next to Santa.
“The [angel] on our tree🎄 watching over us. My first Christmas in 16 years without Ella but our first with Inigo ❤️,” he captioned the post. “Happy Christmas from my family to yours 🐾.”
James and his wife Alizée Thevenet, who wed in 2021, became parents this year. The Princess of Wales’ brother introduced his son in late October with pictures on Instagram, including one of Inigo holding a small pendant of Ella.
“He has been in our lives for just a few weeks but they have been the most special of my life getting to know our beautiful baby boy 💙,” James wrote alongside the images. “No matter how prepared I thought I was…I was not prepared for the overwhelming emotion of meeting Inigo for the first time and the love for my darling Alizée as we became three.”
He continued, “We have settled into our new life as parents and I’ve told him all about Ella and that if it wasn’t for her he wouldn’t be here today and that we miss her greatly. The dogs have been fantastic at welcoming their little brother into the pack (although Inka needs to know the teddybears are not all for her…) 🐾.”