James Middleton reveals test Prince William ‘had to pass to join the family’ & shares why Kate is ‘like a mother’ to him

The younger brother of the Princess of Wales, 43, shared all and reportedly smiled before revealing William’s prerequisite.

In an interview with Hello!, James, 37, a famous lover of pooches, was asked whether it was “prerequisite for Prince William, 42, to like dogs before he could join the Middleton family?”.

To this, James – who is set to celebrate his 38th birthday next week – beamed before revealing his answer.

He suggested he was satisfied with William’s appreciation for the furry animals, as he explained: “He had a long love of dogs. He had a very strong relationship with a black lab called Wigeon growing up, so he knew the powers of what dogs can do.”

James, who lives in a sprawling farmhouse in Bucklebury, Berkshire, with his wife Alizée Thevenet, 36, and their son Inigo, 18 months, currently has six dogs.

He has four cocker spaniels – Zulu, Inka, Luna and Nala – and two golden retrievers – Mabel and Isla.

His pooches are aged between two and 14, while his precious dog Ella, who James revealed “saved” his life when he had clinical depression, passed away at age 15.

During the chat, which was held at his home, James shared what it was like having his sister and brother-in-law live just 30 minutes away.

James, who was born in Reading hospital and has lived around the Berkshire countryside all his life, also claimed his parents live just “five minutes up the road.”

He said it is “lovely” as he gets to see them often and added that he, Kate and their other sibling Pippa Middleton, 41, are all within 30 minutes of each other.

He beamed: “Pippa and James are about 20 minutes away and Katherine and William are about 30 minutes away.

“We are a close family and we are fortunate that we see lots of each other and my parents play a good role in getting us all together in that respect.”

Not only this, but James discussed his close bond with older sister Kate, and even joked he held he had “three mothers” growing up.

I had three mothers growing up. I had my mother and my two sisters, who were mothering figures to me

James Middleton

James claimed Kate and Pippa were like “mothering figures” to him, as he told Hello: “There are pros and cons of being the youngest. The pros are that you get away with quite a lot…

“I jokingly say that I had three mothers growing up. I had my mother and my two sisters, who were mothering figures to me. I was very fortunate.

“We had a fantastic childhood, and they included me in everything they did, and still do. I’m now in my late 30s and we still have that friendship.”

Also during the interview, James discussed how his family has developed their own bonds with his beloved dogs.

He shared heartwarming details about his son, including the hilarious anecdote about how the tot spent the first year of his life thinking he was a dog.

James said Inigo fell “in absolute love” with his golden retriever, Isla, so much so that the tot at one point believed he was a dog and spent a year of his life on “all fours”.

In a video shared to YouTube, James recounted the “entertaining” tale.

He expressed: “Well I think he spent the first year of his life thinking he was a dog – being on all fours. It was quite entertaining to watch.”

He even joked that Inigo’s first word could have been “woof!”, as he continued: “He absolutely loves the dogs.

[William] had a very strong relationship with a black lab called Wigeon growing up, so he knew the powers of what dogs can do

James Middleton

“In particular Isla… she’s the youngest dog we have… he is just in absolute love with her.”

The doting father also spoke on how Inigo can’t begin his day without setting his eyes on Isla.

James described how Inigo is now the same “head height” as Isla when she’s seated, making the pup the perfect canine companion for his young son.

He discussed how Inigo will put his arm around the dog’s neck to give her a hug, before the pooch responds by giving him a “lick on his face.”

Despite this, James insisted that he would never “force” his own love for dogs onto Inigo and wanted his interest in hounds to grow naturally.

He said he was conscious that he wanted Inigo to love dogs “for what they are” and build his own relationship with them, noting that the tot cannot just “absorb” his father’s “love for dogs and animals”.