‘Goodnight my darling’: James Middleton announces death of 15-year-old therapy dog

The Princess of Wales’s brother, James Middleton, has announced the death of his beloved dog Ella in a heartbreaking Instagram post paying tribute to the therapy dog ​​who helped him through a battle with clinical depression.

The entrepreneur, who founded the raw dog food brand Ella & Co, which he named after his beloved spaniel, paid tribute to his ‘dear Ella’ on Friday afternoon, who died at the age of 15.

Middleton said that Ella supported him “from my darkest days to my happiest days.”

He previously credited the black spaniel with helping him overcome his mental health issues and introducing him to his wife, Alizée Thevenet.

The businessman shared this photo of him cradling Ella, taken just hours before she died.

He wrote on Instagram: ‘It is with great sadness that I announce that my dear Ella has passed away.

‘For 15 years, Ella has been by my side, from my darkest days to my happiest days. I will miss her terribly.

‘She had a very brief illness, ran away into my arms at home and is now buried in the garden next to Tilly. I took this photo just a few hours before she died.

“I’m just trying to stick together to write this and even though I knew this day would come, it doesn’t make it any easier.

‘Good evening my dear Ella, Alizee and the dogs will take good care of me.’

He accompanied the message with two photos of Ella, including one he took just hours before she passed away in his arms.

Minutes after she posted the news, Ella & Co said they “miss her already.”

Mr Middleton told his followers: “For 15 years, Ella has been by my side, from my darkest days to my happiest.”

Mr Middleton has previously described how Ella was the reason he met his wife, Alizée.

Mr. Middleton even started his own raw dog food company and named it after his beloved dog.

Princess Charlotte got her first look at her beloved pet spaniel Orla as she celebrated her seventh birthday with an adorable spring accessory.

He previously told followers that Ella helped him overcome clinical depression and “saved his life,” which led him to sign up with Pets As Therapy, a charity that visits dog-friendly care settings to help people get better. recuperate.

He and Ella had volunteered for the charity for more than four years before they died on Friday.

Mr Middleton previously described his “really difficult battle” with the proviso: “A few years ago I was in a very dark and lonely place, I existed without purpose or direction, the constant heartbeat anxiety robbed me of any joy, excitement or anticipation.

‘It was during this time that I realized how much my dogs, in particular [sic] She helped me through a really difficult battle with clinical depression. She saved my life.

Until Ella’s death, Mr. Middleton and his wife had seven dogs, including a pup from a litter one of their dogs gave birth to late last year.

He previously described how Ella ran up to Alizée in a London club when they first met in 2014.

Mr Middleton headed to ‘apologize and bring Ella back’, and his wife mistook him for a waiter. They got married in 2021.

In addition to her own love of spaniels, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s daughter Charlotte was also given an affectionate companion after her uncle gifted her a young dog in 2020.

Princess Charlotte got her first glimpse of her beloved pet spaniel Orla as she celebrated her seventh birthday with an adorable spring snap.

The little princess was seen warmly cuddling her pet dog as she posed in a field of bluebells in a sweet photo taken by the Duchess of Cambridge in Norfolk in May.

Orla, whose name is of Celtic origin and means ‘golden princess’, was raised by the Duchess’s brother, James, and was given to the family shortly before the death of her Spaniel Lupo in November 2020.