James Middleton honored his “darling mother” Carole Middleton as she celebrated her 70th birthday on Friday.
The 37-year-old brother of the Princess of Wales took to Instagram to share a rare childhood photo, featuring a smiling Carole with a cropped hairstyle, holding baby James in her arms, dressed in a simple white cotton outfit.
“Happy 70th Birthday to my darling Mother. My Hero,” James proudly captioned the post.
His followers flooded the comments section with warm wishes for Carole, with some pointing out the striking resemblance between baby James and photos of his sister Kate and her youngest son, Prince Louis, at the same age.
James, the youngest of Carole and Michael’s children, was born in 1987 in Berkshire. He attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire, the same boarding school as his sisters, Kate and Pippa.
In 2021, James married French financial analyst Alizee Thevenet, and two years later, they welcomed their son, Inigo. The couple lives close to James’s parents in Bucklebury.
For their wedding in 2021, Alizee wore Carole’s wedding dress from her 1980 nuptials to Michael. The boho frilled dress was altered to an off-the-shoulder style for her new daughter-in-law.
While the Prince and Princess of Wales did not publicly share birthday wishes for Kate’s mother on January 31, the Princess did receive a special gift during her visit to South Wales on Thursday.
During her trip to Corgi, a family-run textile company in Ammanford, near Swansea, Kate was presented with a cream zip-up cashmere cardigan made especially for her, as well as a navy cashmere wrap for her mother, Carole, for her 70th birthday.
Touched by the gesture, Kate remarked, “That’s so sweet of you, thank you, I wasn’t expecting it.”
