James Middleton turned 39 on Wednesday, and to mark the occasion, he took to Instagram with a carousel of photos from his personal collection. “Today’s my birthday, and every year feels like a bigger climb, but reaching the top and seeing how far you’ve come never gets old,” the Princess of Wales’ brother captioned the post. “Entering the final year of my 30s and more excited than ever.”
Included in the collection of photos was one where James was seen kissing his wife, French financial analyst Alizée Thévenet, on the cheek amid a hike with their dogs. Eagle-eyed royal followers might have noticed that Alizée’s gilet was a style by Hide Park, as identified by Middleton Maven on Instagram, which her sister-in-law Kate wore 20 years ago.
Alizée’s style muse
The brown quilted leather gilet was worn by the Princess on several occasions prior to her royal wedding in 2011, including while supporting her then-boyfriend Prince William at the Field Game in an old boys’ match at Eton College.
Kate styled it with dark-wash skinny jeans tucked into knee-high boots with a navy jumper underneath. Her sister, Pippa Middleton, was also previously seen wearing the borrowed gilet. Alizée proved the timeless appeal of the piece, styling it for 2026 with a mustard cable knit jumper, jeans, and a baker boy hat.
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It’s not the first time Alizée has borrowed items from the Middleton ladies’ wardrobes. Last summer, the mother-of-one joined her mother-in-law, Carole Middleton, at Royal Ascot. She sported a mint green gingham midi dress, teaming it with the silver Juliette Millinery hat Carole wore to Prince Louis‘ christening in 2018.
© GettyAt the christening held at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace and hosted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Carole paired the hat with a Suzannah London wrap dress and court heels.
© GettyWith her choice of tiered dress and open-toe heels, Alizée certainly breathed fresh life into Carole’s seven-year-old accessory.
Meanwhile, her mother-in-law matched her pastel energy, commanding attention in a butter yellow lace midi dress with keyhole detailing and subtly ruffled skirt.
Alizée’s romance with James Middleton
Alizée Thévenet made her public debut with her then-fiancé James Middleton on 18 May at the wedding of Lady Gabriella Kingston at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. It came after she met the princess’ brother in 2018 when his dog, Ella, approached her at the South Kensington Club in London.
© Getty ImagesBy October 2019, the couple were engaged and went on to tie the knot in 2021 in Bormes-les-Mimosas in the south of France, having postponed the wedding twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even on her wedding day, Alizée borrowed a clothing item from Carole Middleton. The bride exclusively told HELLO! at the time: “My something borrowed was in fact my dress from my mother-in-law Carole, who last wore it 41 years ago on her wedding day in June 1980.”
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