had some unexpected companions after his birth in July 2013, his uncle has revealed.

Following the birth of her first son, Kate, the Princess of Wales returned home to her parents' house in Bucklebury to adjust to her new parenting journey there.

Whilst she was there, Kate had two unexpected companions during the night shifts with her young son - Kate's brother James Middleton and his dog, Ella.

In his new book, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, James wrote: "Both of us would wander round at night, she to feed George, me to check on Zulu - and we welcomed the chance for a chat in the early hours."

Suggesting that he and Kate were both "changing nappies", He added: "There was a time, too, when his injury made Zulu incontinent."

Sadly Ella passed away in January last year. In a poignant tribute to his beloved dog, James wrote on social media how she had supported him, "from my darkest days to my happiest".

The 37-year-old has previously referred to dogs as "incredible unsung heroes".

Although he didn't have a child of his own during his nephew's early years, James is now a proud father to his one-year-old son Inigo. James met his wife Alizée back in 2014, with the pair tying the knot in 2021.

Speaking on Lorraine in 2020, James said: "Dogs mean a huge amount to me. I think without my dogs, I wouldn't have the confidence to be sat here speaking now. So I could go as far as saying dogs have saved my life. They're incredible companions, that go further then sometimes humans can, in way of rehabilitation."

James currently has six dogs - Zulu, Inka, Luna, Mabel, Nala and Isla. As a proud dog owner, James posts about them regularly on social media.