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James Middleton Reflects On His Role in Kate and William’s Wedding, Overcoming Dyslexia With Help From Dog Ella In New Memoir
James Middleton shares his experience on overcoming dyslexia with his dog Ella's help to give a Bible reading at his sister Kate's 2011 royal wedding with Prince William.
James Middleton, the brother of Princess of Wales presents details of himself actively engaging in the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate, in 2011 and overcoming struggles in biographical work Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life. Though diagnosed with dyslexia at 11 years of age Middleton nevertheless narrates how he managed to give a Bible reading at his sibling's Westminster Abbey wedding.
In an excerpt published in the Daily Mail on September 14, the now 37 years old narrates the look of disbelief that he must have had when instructed to do the reading. He was taken aback because he remembered how hard it had always been to read text aloud during the time he was in school. He even wondered why on earth they had picked him to do it bearing in mind he had a reading disability.
He noted that after interacting with his sibling and Prince William to get an understanding of their choice, he nodded to accept their decision and reassured them that he would try as best as he could. It was only later that Middleton discovered that his part in the service would be the only reading, and while feeling proud, it left him quite ill at ease. Looking at all the effort they had put in, he took the reading with him everywhere going over it and getting word pronunciation right sometimes even in his sleep.
For more practice, he hired rather dramatically the voice instructor Anthony Gordon Lennox who worked with former prime minister David Cameron. With the help of Lennox’s support, Middleton’s self-assurance improved step by step.
His dog Ella provided comfort throughout his training, allowing him to relax at such a difficult time. She was not allowed to be at the wedding ceremony but was present during the rehearsal the day before and she provided supportive companionship.
Middleton recalls with tenderness the scene of Ella’s presence at the rehearsal to soothe himself. His dog had a huge therapeutic effect all through his preparations as she assisted him to remain calm during the difficult period.
On the day of the wedding, Middleton was in possession of a phonetic version of the reading to assist him. It was all about not disappointing his sister Princess Kate and Prince William. There were already some known faces in the audience, who had a supportive understandable look — so his nerves had calmed.
"After all the wonder of the day, the service, then the celebrations, all I wanted to do was throw on a pair of old jeans and take Ella out for a walk," James Middleton writes. Ella had been with him all along during the entire process, but he lost her in January 2023 after a brief illness.
ALSO READ: Prince William-Kate Middleton Relationship Timeline: Exploring Their Royal Love Story Over The Years
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