James Middleton’s newborn son inherited important family heirloom that Prince George, Charlotte and Louis missed out on

James Middleton and wife Alizée Thevenet welcomed their first child this year

James Middleton with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis
(Image credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for HUGO BOSS and Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)

When James Middleton’s newborn came into the world, he inherited an important Middleton family heirloom that his cousins Prince George, Charlotte and Louis missed out on - and the reason why is completely understandable. 

James Middleton and his wife Alizée Thevenet delighted royal fans when, earlier this year, they announced they were expecting their first child together. The time since has passed in the blink of an eye and the couple have brought baby son Inigo into the world and have been spotted pushing him around in a pram reportedly gifted to them by James' sister, Kate Middleton, as a baby shower present

The new baby has been welcomed into the Middleton family with open arms, with both Prince William and Kate Middleton 'relishing' their roles as an Uncle and Aunt. But while Inigo is grandparents Carole and Michael Middleton's seventh grandchild, he is the first to inherit an important Middleton heirloom - the family name. 

Yes, that's right! Kate Middleton and Prince William have three children together, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and Pippa Middleton shares three children, Arthur Michael, Grace Elizabeth Jane and Rose Matthews, with her husband James Matthews. But because both daughters married and took their husbands' names, none of the Middleton grandchildren had the last name Middleton. Until now that is.

With their only son now a parent, and to his own son who will continue to carry the Middleton name, Carole and Michael are likely delighted that their family legacy will continue well into the future. 

The grandparents are set to be highly involved in the child's life as James and his wife live in Berkshire, the same county as Carole and Michael. With the grandparents being on hand for Kate when she had her first child, letting her and William move into their secluded family home for the first precious days as parents, it's likely that they've done the same again for their son. 

James and Alizée moved to their countryside home in Berkshire after meeting by chance back in 2018 and sharing a house in the busy city of London. But they quickly sold up and moved to the countryside where the air is cleaner and the landscape is greener. 

Writing in The Telegraph while they were planning their move, James shared, "We are country people and love going out for long walks, but one of the key reasons we wanted to live in the countryside was our six dogs."

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Jonathan Brady - Pool/Getty Images)

The couple's Berkshire home also means they are situated close to Kate and William's abode, with baby Inigo hopefully getting to spend lots of time with his cousins Prince George, Charlotte and Louis. 

Baby Inigo is going to be brought up in a similar way to his cousins, with the newborn already having one of James' boyhood wishes granted without him having to even lift a finger. Just like his cousins, Inigo will be raised with a 'pet' in the house, something James has previously said his niece and nephews are 'lucky' to have experienced. 

He told OK! Magazine that he was left 'devastated' as a child that his parents wouldn't let him have a dog and even revealed that he would 'write letters to his parents to try to convince them to let him have one.'

Speaking about George, Charlotte and Louis, he added, “I’m really pleased that they are able to enjoy and have the benefit of a dog in their lives. I see them being lucky that they have a dog in their life.”

James is the proud owner of at least five dogs, all of whom clearly adore Inigo already, with many of James' Instagram posts featuring them all around the baby. 

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Royal News and Entertainment writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.