James Middleton (British businessman)

Last updated

James Middleton
Born
James William Middleton

(1987-04-15) 15 April 1987 (age 35)
Reading, Berkshire, England
Alma mater
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse
Alizée Thevenet
​
(m. 2021)​
Partner Donna Air (2013–2018)
Parents
Family Middleton

James William Middleton (born 15 April 1987) [1] is an English entrepreneur. He is the brother of Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Contents

Born in Reading, Berkshire, Middleton was educated at St Andrew's School, Pangbourne. He briefly attended the University of Edinburgh before dropping out and founding a cake-making business. Middleton began receiving media attention during his eldest sister's relationship and subsequent marriage to Prince William. In 2013, he started a personalised greeting card company, Boomf. Middleton is a mental health advocate and has spoken about his experiences with major depressive disorder. [2] Middleton and his dog, Ella, are ambassadors for the Pets As Therapy charity. [3]

Early life and education

James William Middleton was born on 15 April 1987 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, [1] the youngest child and only son of Michael Middleton (born 1949), a former British Airways flight dispatcher, [4] and Carole Middleton (born 1955), a former flight attendant. [5] [6] [7] His father came from a line of solicitors who resided in Leeds, West Yorkshire. His great-grandmother, Olive Middleton, was a member of the Lupton family who were landed gentry. [8] [9] [10] His mother's family were labourers and miners from County Durham. [7] [11] [12] Shortly before his birth, Middleton's parents founded Party Pieces, a mail-order party supply company, estimated to be worth £30 million, [13] though accounts show that the company has lost £1.068 million since its inception. [14] His elder sisters are Catherine (born 1982) and Philippa (born 1983). [15] The family resided in Bradfield Southend, Berkshire, before moving to the nearby village of Bucklebury in 1995. [16] [17] [18] Middleton was educated at St Andrew's School, Pangbourne, and Marlborough College. [19] [20] In 2006, he attended the University of Edinburgh, studying environmental resources management before dropping out a year later. [21] [22]

Career

Middleton's cake-making business, which is now defunct, was inspired by reading that a mother's baking is a highly evocative childhood memory. [21] He supplied baking kits so home bakers would be able to get all the ingredients in one place for adventurous creations such as "football cakes". [21] He started baking in the family kitchen and expanded into a freight container and converted barns. [21] Themed birthday cake baking kits were distributed by his parents' company, Party Pieces. [21] [23]

Themed cakes were later provided for companies such as Jigsaw, 3 and Ralph Lauren. [21] Middleton caused "shudders" at Buckingham Palace after taking part in a Hello magazine photoshoot for which he was commissioned to bake 21 cakes commemorating its 21st birthday, each iced with one of the magazine's front covers – amongst them, several members of the royal family, including Diana, Princess of Wales. [24] The business won Smarta 100 and Haines Watts Young Entrepreneur awards. [25] In April 2011 he registered three businesses: Nice Cakes, Nice Wine and Nice Group London and planned to expand the Cake Kit Company. [21] [24] The Cake Kit Company dissolved in 2015. [26]

In 2013, Middleton founded Boomf, a company that makes personalised marshmallows and greeting cards. [27] [28] In 2015, the company raised £700 in funding, and was valued at £10m. [29] Boomf made a loss of £3 million between 2015 and 2018. [30] Hedge fund manager James Matthews paid Middleton €110,000 for 12,800 Boomf shares. [31] In 2019, Middleton announced that the company had reached profitability with an income of £176,000 in the previous year. [32] Boomf raised $1m of funding in 2021, with plans to expand its product range. [33] The company was sold later that year. In May 2020, Middleton launched Ella & Co, a mail order dog food company that offers freeze-dried, raw, organic dog food. [34]

Personal life

Middleton hosts deer stalking parties at Glen Affric Estate, owned by the family of the husband of Philippa Affric Lodge, Glen Affric (geograph 3199291).jpg
Middleton hosts deer stalking parties at Glen Affric Estate, owned by the family of the husband of Philippa

Middleton is dyslexic. [35] Middleton read from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible at the 2011 wedding of his sister Catherine to Prince William. [36] In 2019, he disclosed his struggles with depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which he attributed to public scrutiny from age 23 as a result of his eldest sister's relationship. [37] [38] He sought treatment in 2017, undertaking cognitive behavioral therapy. [38] [39] Middleton also spent "restorative time" at the Glen Affric Estate, owned by his sister Philippa's father-in-law. [38] [40] [41] In the same year, he penned a column in the Daily Mail about mental health. [42] [43]

Middleton is an ambassador for the Pets As Therapy charity, and has credited his dog, Ella, for helping him through his depression. [44] [39] He breeds dogs, owning six, as well as one rescue lamb. [45] [46] [47] Middleton also keeps bees on the grounds of Bucklebury Manor. [48] [49] In April 2020, he founded the Paw Print Fund in aid of animal welfare charities. [46]

Middleton was in a relationship with actress Donna Air from 2013 to 2018. [50] Middleton met French financial analyst Alizée Thevenet in 2018, and announced their engagement in September 2019. [51] [52] They planned to wed in summer 2020 but postponed the event twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [53] The couple married on 11 September 2021, in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France; his wife having worn the 1980 wedding dress belonging to Carole Middleton, her mother-in-law. [54] [55]

Arms

Coat of arms of James Middleton
Coat of arms of James Middleton with crest.svg
Notes
The arms of James William Middleton are the arms of his father differenced by a gold label. In heraldry, the label is the mark of the first son.
Crest
A Rock Argent, thereon a Wolf sejant Azure, gorged with a Collar of Roses Argent, barbed and seeded proper, supporting in the dexter forepaw a Caduceus Or, serpent Gules, labeled Or.
Escutcheon
Per pale Azure and Gules, a chevron Or, cotised Argent, between three acorns slipped and leaved Or (Middleton).
Symbolism
The dividing line (between two colours) down the centre is a canting of the name 'Middle-ton'. The acorns (from the oak tree) are a traditional symbol of England and a feature of west Berkshire, where the family lived. The three acorns also denote the family's three children. The gold chevron in the centre of the arms is an allusion to Carole Middleton's maiden name of Goldsmith. The two white chevronels (narrow chevrons above and below the gold chevron) symbolise peaks and mountains, and the family's love of the Lake District and skiing. [56]

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References

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  4. ↑ Rayner, Gordon (16 November 2010). "Royal wedding: Kate Middleton's family background". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  5. ↑ Ancestry of Kate Middleton at wargs.com, accessed 4 January 2011
  6. ↑ Berlau, John (28 April 2011). "The Entrepreneurs' Princess". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  7. 1 2 Bradford, Sarah (29 April 2011). "Like the Queen Mother and Diana, Kate has the common touch". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  8. ↑ - A Photographic Archive of Leeds, Leodis. "Headingley Castle". Leodis – UK Gov. Leeds. UK Leeds Gov. Retrieved 19 October 2014. The Luptons of Leeds were landed gentry; a political and business dynasty.
  9. ↑ Harris, C. (2015). "The Canadian Encyclopaedia - Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge" . Retrieved 23 August 2022. Her paternal great-grandmother, Olive Lupton, was a member of the wealthy Lupton family, woolen manufacturers and members of the landed gentry from Leeds. The Lupton family trust would fund the private education of Kate and her siblings.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ↑ The Leeds connection in Yorkshire Evening Post
  11. ↑ Duncan, Pearl (24 April 2011). "The History of Families New and Long Lost: An American Compares Coat of Arms with Kate Middleton's". History News Network. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
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  24. 1 2 Eden, Richard (24 April 2011). "Kate Middleton's brother wants a bigger slice of the cake". Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
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  34. ↑ "Introducing Ella & Co, James Middleton's new canine-approved business". 18 May 2020.
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  38. 1 2 3 Conway, Clauda. "The rise and rise of James Middleton". Tatler. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  39. 1 2 Blair, Olivia. "James Middleton Opens Up About Sister Kate Accompanying Him To Therapy". Elle. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
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  44. ↑ DeSantis, Marissa. "James Middleton says he 'owes life' to dog Ella who helped with his depression". Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
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  47. ↑ Boucher, Phil. "James Middleton Reveals New Member of the Family on His 34th Birthday!". People. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  48. ↑ Wallace, Rachel. "Kate Middleton's Brother Opens Up About His Unexpected Hobby". Architectural Digest.
  49. ↑ Coke, Hope. "Beekeeping is the new A-list trend to get on board with now, says James Middleton". Tatler. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  50. ↑ McBridge, Caitlin. "Kate Middleton's brother James 'splits with girlfriend of four years' Donna Air". The Independent. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  51. ↑ "5 Things to Know About James Middleton's Fiancee Alizee Thevenet". Us Weekly. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  52. ↑ Pasquini, Maria (6 October 2019). "James Middleton 'Couldn't Be Happier' About Engagement to Alizee Thevenet as She Debuts Sapphire Ring". People. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  53. ↑ Greco, Alanna Lauren (21 March 2020). "Kate Middleton's Brother James Is Delaying His Wedding to Alizee Thevenet Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  54. ↑ Beard, Lanford. "James Middleton Is Married — and His Dog Photobombed the Newlyweds!". People. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  55. ↑ Cope, R. (20 September 2021). "Something borrowed: Alizee Thevenet wore mother-in-law Carole Middleton's wedding dress". Tatler. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  56. ↑ "The arms of Miss Catherine Middleton". College of Arms. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
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