Inigo Middleton has taken after his father, James Middleton's love for dogs. The Princess of Wales' brother revealed to HOLA! USA's sister brand HELLO! that his one-year-old son "spent the first year of his life thinking he was a dog."
James recalled, "He'd crawl around on all fours, which was entertaining to watch."
The dad of one also joked that Inigo's "first word was 'woof.'" James told HELLO!, "But he loves dogs, particularly Isla—he puts his arm around her neck and squeezes. He loves chatting to the animals – he shouts at the chickens and knows what noise a cow makes. He shares many of my loves, which are tractors, sheep and dogs."
The James & Ella founder has six dogs: Zulu, Mabel, Inka, Luna, Nala, and Isla. James admitted that "getting up in the morning trying to feed six dogs and get Inigo fed and off to nursery is a challenge."
The Kate's brother and his wife Alizée Thevenet welcomed Inigo, their first child, in September 2023. The month after his son's arrival, James introduced Inigo on Instagram with a photo of his baby boy holding a pendant of his late beloved dog Ella, as well as pictures of Inigo with other furry family members.
"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 💙 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," James captioned the post. "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."
James added, "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…) 🐾 We would like to thank the wonderful team at Basingstoke hospital, from the very first scan to walking out the front door for the first time as three, we couldn’t have felt more supported and looked after throughout so thank you NHS 🙏."
Since Inigo's birth, James has shared adorable snapshots of his son with his dogs. Back in 2023, the Princess of Wales' brother wrote on Instagram that Inigo had "already found his place amongst the pack, giggling every time one of the dogs comes over to nestle up beside us."