James Middleton is a British entrepreneur and the younger brother of Catherine, Princess of Wales and Pippa Middleton. Born in Reading, Berkshire, Middleton was educated at St Andrew's School, Pangbourne.
James has six dogs – Mabel, Zulu, Inka and Luna, Nala and Isla – who he has credited with helping him through tough times. He speaks out openly about his struggles with depression and how his dogs — particularly his black cocker spaniel Ella — have helped him over the years to navigate mental health issues. Ella, his constant companion, sadly passed asway in January 2023.
"I got this diagnosis and Ella came to all of my therapy sessions, which I was reluctant to go to from the start," he shared. "But with her by my side, I really became confident in understanding that I had a mental illness."
James added, "I would go so far as to say that I owe Ella my life. During a lenghty battle with clinical depression, I experienced first hand the positive impact that dogs can have on your mental health. It was after coming out the other side of this dark period of my life, that I found myself wanting to give back to my dogs, but also to enrich the lives of others. I had two of my dogs registered as PAT Dogs, and I’m also a keen ambassador for the incredible work that Pets As Therapy do.”
Middleton is now an ambassador for the Pets As Therapy charity.
In 2020, he also launched Ella and Co which is a mail-order dog food company, offering freeze-dried and raw dog food.
James became a father for the first time in 2023.