James Middleton opened up about his mental health struggles in January of this year, just about a month before we learned that his marshmallow company, Boomf, was doing Nazi-themed marshmallows made-to-order. We’re taking the good with the bad here, and I just wanted to remind people that there no follow-ups or statements about Boomf’s Nazi marshmallows. There were follow-ups on James’ mental health issues, including his struggle with depression. He’s talked opening about going into therapy and how much his dogs have helped him. But did you know his dog Ella – daddy’s favorite, I think – also went into therapy with him?
James Middleton has revealed he ‘sometimes finds it easier to talk to dogs than humans’ in a candid interview. The 32-year-old brother to the Duchess of Cambridge also revealed he took his Spaniel Ella to therapy sessions, as he opened up about his struggle with depression.
James, who works as a host at Scottish hotel Glen Affric Lodge near Loch Ness, has nine dogs – Golden Retriever Mabel, a black Labrador, two Cocker Spaniels, and five black Spaniels called Rafa, Ella, Zulu, Inka and Luna.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, he said: ‘Fundamentally inside me I know how much the dogs helped me. I find it easier talking to the dogs than I sometimes do to humans’. Recommending more therapy dogs be put in hospitals and mental health centres, he added: ‘I know it can work — so Ella came to all my therapy sessions with me and that’s why I’m so supportive of it and I want to do more myself. All I’m trying to do is to say that talking about mental health should be part of an everyday conversation, the same way that if I said ‘I have hayfever’ it would be a normal discussion.’
Therapy dogs are a real thing, and there’s a lot of data to suggest that pet ownership/cohabitation is an overwhelmingly good thing for people. So, I’m not surprised that James credits his dogs as being a big part of his treatment and healing. I bet Ella was like “when can I tell the therapist about some of my issues” though. Also: I’m a big believer in bringing therapy animals to kids’ hospitals, and I think therapy dogs should also be brought in for people in communities after a trauma. Like, after a mass shooting, bring in therapy dogs. Puppies should be going to Dayton and El Paso right now. Animals help people heal and just feel better.
Photos courtesy of Instagram.
It’s good that he talks about this.
He also got his bike back! Remember when his cargo bike (I forget the actual term) got stolen? He got it back and some company fixed it and its going to be used for the Battersea dog shelter to help bring dogs to visit people who are homebound. I think? I saw it on IG but don’t feel like looking it up, so I know, great story! lol. He had gotten a new bike in the meantime so he seems to be donating the old one.
Animal shelters and retirement homes and pre-schools should be put together somehow. Yes I know there are allergies and stuff, but still.
ITA! Yes allergies are a thing but rescue pets and humans can and should have mutually beneficial relationships.
Yep, he just posted about that. (Shallow note: He looks GOOD in that post.)
SOOOOO GOOD.
oh for sure. that was the first thing I noticed LOL.
He’s my guilty crush
Therapy dogs are such a wonderful concept. My daughter’s college brings them in at various times—around finals week, etc. We had thought about getting our last dog certified as a therapy dog, she had the perfect calm, sweet disposition..but she died 😢. Our current dog is lovable but calm he is not! Not a good candidate for a therapy dog at all.
There was a “public” therapy dog at Phoenix airport. It had a vest that said “pet me.” Just seeing an animal made me feel so happy.
Aw!
I read that they are getting those dogs at Pearson airport in Toronto. I will be so excited to have a dog around while waiting for a trip. I love my dogs so much that I haven’t taken a vacation in a few years because I don’t want to leave them at a kennel and our dog walker, who used to take our female dog when she was our only dog, can no longer take them as her one dog and my male dog hate each other.
Yes, there’s one at Fort Lauderdale too! I love going there because of it lol.
My husband makes nurse visits to patients in various senior facilities, and some have dogs living there. These animals are truly a blessing for some of the residents.
Original Kellybean: Would you consider having someone you trust stay in your home while you go away on a vacation? That is what we do. I wouldn’t dream of boarding my dogs. They would be totally traumatized. It’s not like you can say to them, “Mommy is going away for a few days but I’ll be back. Oh and by the way, you’ll be locked in a cage at night.” Having them stay in their own environment but with someone kind and loving seems to work out well for us.
James’ dogs are so stinking adorable!
great
He’s always doing interviews with the Daily Mail. Probably the Middletons are the typical Daily Mail readers.
The article states “Speaking to the Evening Standard”
Which is a sister company to the Fail. Granting the initial interview to the Standard (also a free paper) better controls the optics as well as boosting circulation to those who despise the Fail.
The Standard is a physical free paper given to commuters in London and the Home Counties.
This has PMC’s fingers all over it. Me thinks that the Midds are campaigning for titles and engaging in distraction PR away from Pipp’s father in law who is still under scrutiny for those rape allegations.
I also think a wedding announcement and or an ambassadorship of a mental health charity is underfoot. There is also a part of me that believes that James has a condition a little more serous than depression, hence why Kate is very passionate about mental health and this is Jame’s way of slowly breaking the story before reporters do.
reading is hard
PMC=????
IMHO: If the Middleton’s want a peerage they are going to have to wait along time because I do not see QEII of Charles III giving them one.
Is it widely believed that James Middleton has serious problems? Other than being not very bright and a little dense, I have never heard this tea before.
PMC = Pimp Mama Carole
That’s not true, the Daily Mail and the Standard are rivals and not “sister publications” in any way. The only connection between them is that Viscount Rothermere (who essentially owns the Mail) has a 10% stake in the Standard. The Standard is mainly owned by a notorious Russian oligarch (though he recently sold a 30% stake to Saudi Arabia, though he still controls the paper himself, and is very heavily involved in certain aspects of the day to day running) and edited by our former CotE.
The Prime Minster of the UK, Lord Salisbury once said ‘The Daily Mail is rubbish written by office boys for office boys”.
Good to know disliking The Fail puts me in good company.
Unfortunately, we’re reading it too…..
The Middletons are in thick with the Daily Mail’s editor. He does PR for that family. That’s why you always see random articles about Pippa that nobody asked for, riding on her bike around London or whatever. James Middleton too. All arranged with the scheming Carole Middleton calling up the DM’s editor.
So I’ve never been an animal person we were never allowed pets in my house – my dad wanted a dog so badly and my mom always vetoed it. Therefore, in my child or adult life, I have never had much contact with animals. Over the last 2 months though, there has been some kind of crazy cosmic shift. Dogs and to a lesser extent cats have decided that I am one of their peeps, and just follow me around. Even when their owners are close by. And not barking angrily or hissing (in the case of the cats), they just follow. It is so strange. Pretty cute though, I have to say.
Animals can sense you are a kindred spirit, they really can. My son is 6’ 4” and a really big guy…you might think animals might be afraid of him. But he is the sweetest, most gentle person and they instantly know it. Dogs and cats seek him out, dogs stand up against him and want to be petted. Two of our three cats are standoffish with everyone but him…they love him.
This has always happened to me too when younger. I was surprised to encounter dogs while walking a few times in the past year who also made a beeline for me, even tho i’m older now. Animals are such joy and need comfort from kind humans too.
Since I began volunteering weekly at a farm sanctuary 2 years ago I’ve developed a deep, deep love for farm animals – hugging a cow is healing, cuddling a sheep or goat is basically transcendental, and petting a turkey until she falls asleep will never not bring me to happy tears.
Animals are truly too good for us. I wish more people treated them with the love and respect they deserve.
Me too. I wish they would. Also, I wish people would understand that all animals, including the farm animals that are abused and slaughtered so people can have their bacon or burgers or whatever, are all individuals, each with a precious life of their own, needing love and respect like all living creatures. And the love and healing they give is boundless.
You might enjoy twitter account @ZwartblesIE … she has a menagerie of dogs and cats in addition to her sheep, alpaca and horses and she’s a sort of Mary poppins with her farm… she gets firm in stating it’s not Disney but a real working farm to those who say mean things but she loves her animals and treats them so well. Her story is interesting too. She has a book, written from perspective of a cat who died earlier this year (it was so sad!)… anyway the book is good. Also she’s descended from a literary giant who also helped save people from nazis during the war. Incredible family and history but they are very low key. Oh! I forgot… the writer of Mary Poppins was her godmother.
All this shared for mental health purposes. It’s a truly lovely account. She is on Instagram too.
I will check that out.
Do cows bite? I was at a farm yesterday and I wanted to hug the cutest cow there but I wasn’t sure how that would go.
They have brought in therapy dogs after mass shootings. I read they were bringing in some after the recent ones like this article here: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/shooting-in-el-paso-dogs-travel-to-el-paso-to-comfort-first-responders-and-medical-staff-after-mass-shooting/. When the kids went back to school after the Parkland shooting a dog (or several) were brought in as well. I always think they don’t bring enough in but that’s just me!
My dogs are my best friends. I have a very difficult time forming deep bonds with humans, with the exception of a very dear few–just trust issues like many others. I am also not overly affectionate or touchy-feely with humans, something my husband sometimes longs for. I find companionship with animals to be exceedingly easy and natural, and I am able to express love for and to them without hesitation or the slightest sense of feeling silly about it. It has helped me facilitate better relationships with humans. When my soul-dog, Bill Dawg, crossed the “rainbow bridge” this past May, I didn’t know how if I could overcome the grief, but there were my three other dogs, very much alive and very much needing me. They bridged the gap left in my heart after Bill Dawg’s passing. My relationship with Bill Dawg was massively therapeutic, helping me when I went through turbulent interpersonal times, a very painful surgery on my stomach and esophagus, and some depression that kicked in after surgery (what is it with anesthesia? Two years later, I still don’t feel all the way out of the fog). The emotional range of dogs is beautiful to behold and to participate in. In crappy times, the tenderness they convey is a tonic for the soul, and their periods of silliness a kind of an anodyne distraction from what ails the human heart and mind.
Your comment touched my broken heart so much. I too lost my 12 year old dog Romey, the love of my life, in May. Once the shock and trauma subsided, the deep ache of missing him so terribly sunk in. I was with him every day, all day (work from home), and now I’m just..lost. I’m hoping time will heal me enough to be able to care for another, I’m not sure where my husband is with his grief, we really don’t talk about it. Anyway, hugs morning jacket.
Losing a pet is heartbreaking ❤️
All animals, not only conventional pets like cats and dogs, but all animals, including the animals that are cruelly exploited and slaughtered for meat for humans to consume could also be a part of this healing experience through animal sanctuaries. People who have been through traumas or needs healing in any way could experience the healing energy of these animals. Animals (not the human animal) have such an evolved, honest and beautiful energy, it enrages me that humans would rather kill them than simply help keep them safe and be around their incredible energy, Humans do not understand these incredible creatures, which is why they are okay with hurting and killing them. They need to learn from animals, including to simply be rather than always trying to be. Humans are so under evolved in so many ways compared to other animals. I would rather be with animals any day of the week, any hour of the day, rather than be with humans.
+ 1000000
spot on Maples!!!
Why are we still hearing about him? I thought he wanted a quiet, Scottish, semi-royal-adjacent life in the hills with his dogs. Unless he’s going to directly address how his royal connections netted him millions in investments, which he lost because he’s nothing more than a lazy dandy with a beard and barely went to his own offices, I truly couldn’t care less what he says.
While I’m riled up, did Buck Palace okay his recent barrage of interviews? Does Kate confer with courtiers before her siblings use their in-laws for press coverage? It’s always been clear that the same rules don’t apply to everyone in the BRF, but between Eugenie’s Lolita Island podcast and the Middleton’s continuing to hang on to any bit of royal relevance that they can leech, it’s just far too much for me to reconcile with the bs the Sussexes get.
+1
x1000 …
Is there any evidence that he got money in some improper way? Otherwise it’s his business and,as a private citizen, he doesn’t have to discuss it publicly.
Maybe I’m missing something,but I don’t see him releasing interviews every day. I just remember the other piece he wrote for the DM some months ago. And in both cases he’s highlighting a good cause and sharing an experience that may be useful for someone. For all the talk I see here that he’s dense and not that bright,his piece about his depression was very well written and touching.
I don’t get the snark about that.
He has yet to explain or acknowledge how the nazi marshmellows happened and what he did to rectify that issue. It’s one thing to be open about depression, but that is not an excuse for this happening. He can either state that he never ran the day to day operations and had since fired the person who let this happen, or he can provide some other reason, but I really don’t think it is acceptable for someone to be running a business and permitting nazi paraphenalia to be made, which is negligent at best on his part and just skating away with it. The fact that there has been no explanation but instead a bunch of stories about his dogs just shows the extreme white privilege he has.
@Nic919 Isn’t it well-known that he isn’t “involved” in running company anymore? It’s surely why he didn’t have any interest in bringing up the episode again.
I guess they also thought that the apology issued when they were contacted by the Daily Mail,announcing also an internal investigation, was enough.
Unless the police gets involved,from a mere PR point of view,nobody has interest to talk about it publicly again.
In any case,I was replying about his investments,which are his business.
Everything you said, nic919. Some people would rather fawn over this man, and overlook or excuse his poor business practices and lack of accountability (and leadership) for what supposedly his employees did under his watch. And, did his HRH sister take any public abuse for his behavior like the DoS would have it had been her relative? No. Further, if anyone actually believes he wrote that mental health article all by himself or is orchestrating his own self-promotion, I’ve got a bridge to sell them, cheap.
James may want that life (and I truly think he does) but Mummy doesn’t – she wants him to marry someone with a title and money, just like his sisters. James has no business sense so they are pitching him as a country gent (which I think thats what he wants to be – he looks the part) to hook interest. All Carole cares about is the triple jackpot of successfully marrying ALL her children up.
TBH James strikes me as someone who’d be quite happy living a quiet bachelor life in the country with his dogs, vacationing and doing part time hosting. He never had the drive or ambition his sisters do/did.
I love reading about James Middleton and seeing pictures of his amazing dogs.
I’m completely with James on the healing power of dogs and animals in general (I have 4 dogs and 3 cats). His dogs are so beautiful. .
He makes me want to sleep.Not for the good reasons
What does he do for living?
My good friend bumped into James with his dog basket bike and patted the dogs not realizing it was him in islington in London.. I don’t think he was overly friendly with his reaction to her doggy advances
Those dogs are so pretty, look at their shiny coats. Dogs rule! Thats all I’ve got.