The Duchess of Cambridge’s new sister-in-law honoured Carole Middleton in this special way

james and carole middleton

Another day, another headline-making story about the Cambridge family. Between the Queen's vow to stay on the throne because of Princess Charlotte, to the family's sweet fashion tribute to frontline workers, the royal family of five are never far from the front pages.

But this week, it's the Middleton family who have been in the spotlight, following news that the Duchess of Cambridge's brother James recently married his long-term partner, Alizée Thevenet, in the South of France.

James and Alizée reportedly wed in a small, intimate ceremony at the town hall in Bormes-les-Mimosas, where Alizée's family recently acquired a property. It's thought that both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in attendance, alongside their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

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James initially announced the marriage on Instagram, captioning a photograph of the new couple: "Mr & Mrs Middleton. Yesterday I married the love of my life surrounded by family, friends and of course a few dogs in the beautiful village or Bormes-les-Mimosas. Words cannot describe how happy I am."

But it's recently released details of the wedding that reveal just how close-knit the Middleton clan are, as French financial expert Alizée detailed to Hello! magazine the special way in which she paid tribute to her new mother-in-law Carole Middleton.

"My something borrowed was in fact my dress from my mother-in-law Carole who last wore it 41 years ago on her wedding day in June, 1980," Alizée told the publication.

The dress, an off-the-shoulder gown trimmed with lace, was worn by Carole for her 1980 wedding to Michael Middleton, and Alizée stumbled across it while residing in the Middleton family's Berkshire home during lockdown.

"While talking about dresses with Carole and sharing ideas during lockdown for inspiration, I tried on her wedding dress and fell in love with it," Alizée recalled.

"It fitted me perfectly and was exactly what I wanted. It always troubled me that wedding dresses are only worn once so it was amazing to give such a beautiful dress a second lease of life."

That is just lovely. Many congratulations to the happy couple!

Kate McCusker

Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.