James Middleton, the younger brother of the Princess of Wales, has delved into his uncomfortable encounter with the late Queen Elizabeth in his new memoir which hits shelves today (September 26).
In his debut book ‘Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life’, he speaks candidly about his personal battle against depression and the crucial support provided by his beloved spaniel Ella during his recovery.
However, as the sibling of the future Queen, he also discloses stories from behind royal doors, which include his sister Kate, Prince William, and the wider Royal Family, OK! reports.
In an exclusive snippet published by the Daily Mail, James shares an experience where he accidentally breached royal protocol at a birthday event for his sister, notably arranged by the late Queen herself at Sandringham.
Describing the day with frankness, James said: “Pippa and I were late for Catherine’s birthday party, which in the normal run of things wouldn’t have mattered too much, but this time the Queen had kindly offered to host the teatime gathering at Sandringham.”
He details how that day featured both hectic travel and clothing gaffes: “We’d been on a late-night flight to Gatwick from France and arrived bleary-eyed and sleepless at the airport, then I’d driven us both to Bucklebury so we could pack.”
Concerned about his unkempt appearance, he recalled: “I was fretting about the standard of my ironing my shirt was rumpled and creased in all the wrong places and I could only find one cufflink. ‘Come on James, we’ve got to go now,’ urged Pippa as I filled up Ella’s water bottle for the journey.
“We arrived breathless and flustered with barely time to run upstairs and change. I bounded downstairs two at a time and into the room where everyone was assembled for tea, almost running smack into Her Majesty. She and Prince Philip had got up to leave just as I blundered in with Pippa behind me.
“All the way up to Norfolk I’d been rehearsing my lines, muttering: ‘Your Majesty’ for the Queen; ‘Your Royal Highness’ for the Duke of Edinburgh. But in my blind panic, I blurted: ‘I’m so sorry we’re late, Your Royal Majesty.'”
The slip-up elicited laughter from the room, as James remembered: “I heard a snort of laughter and looked past the Queen to see everyone in the room stifling their giggles. ‘Oh, how lovely to see you, James,’ she smiled.
“I’d met her several times, especially at my sister’s wedding, and she was always gracious. ‘You must be hungry. Make sure you have something to eat.'”.
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