The brother of the Princess of Wales has revealed how he introduced his now-wife to his famous sister - and it almost ended up being very awkward.

James Middleton is Kate's younger brother and has been married to his wife Alizee for three years. The couple is both proud parents to young son Inigo. The pair met in the summer of 2018 after a chance encounter involving his pet dog Ella, who has now sadly passed away.

After their unlikely first meeting, the pair began dating after striking up a romance. And in his new memoir Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, James recalls the first time he introduced his then-girlfriend to Kate, Prince William and his nephew and niece Prince George and Princess Charlotte in a surprise moment.

In the book, which has been serialised in the Daily Mail, James explains that he and Alizee had been to a wedding close to the Middleton family home in Berkshire and made the split decision to head back there after the event and stay the night. But unbeknown to him, William, Kate and their children were also staying there overnight and he only realised the next morning after hearing the children giggling. He describes how he left Alizee sleeping in bed while he went downstairs to see the family and to make his girlfriend a cup of tea.

And he reveals: "I'm about to take a cup up to Alizee when she appears at the kitchen door. She has just got out of bed, her hair still tousled, and she is wearing one of my shirts. In situations like this, Alizee is ­wonderfully French.

"She does not panic or rush upstairs to get dressed. Instead, she just greets everyone warmly as if it's not remotely unusual to be meeting her boyfriend's sister and brother-in-law for the first time wearing only an oversized man's shirt."

But despite Alizee's attire, James says there was awkwardness and says after introductions, they all began chatting with George and Charlotte asking questions. He adds: "I tell Charlotte and George, yes, she is my girlfriend and introduce her to them, then we are all talking and laughing as if she has been part of the family for years."

James' memoir is set to hit shelves later this month and it has been billed as 'tender' and 'sometimes devastating'. The dad-of-one is known as a devoted dog lover and the book will tell the story of his first dog Ella and how she guided him through some of the toughest periods of his life as he battled depression and happier times, such as meeting his future wife Alizee.

James was just 20 when Ella became his pet. Publisher Octopus says: "Ella and James formed an unbreakable bond and went everywhere together, from Scottish mountainsides to royal weddings. In a romantic gesture, Ella helped James introduce himself to his future wife, Alizee, a fellow dog lover.

"But James and Ell'’s connection runs much deeper than that. Threaded through this life-affirming story of one man’s love for his dog is an honest account of James’s battle with clinical depression. "During his most difficult times, Ella was the most devoted of friends, who loved James unconditionally, read his moods, and knew just when and how to intervene to help him. Ella was even the reason that James went to therapy."

James added: "Ella was so much more than just a dog – she was part of me, a true companion, my closest confidante, and very often my therapist. My life would not have been the same without her and I wanted to commemorate her and the way that she helped me reconnect with the world at a time when I felt lost.

"I know that many other people will have had their own Ellas, or are perhaps in need of one right now, so I hope that this book will also help us to talk more openly about our mental health, our need for connection, and the way in which the animals that we think we are taking care of are always looking after us in return."