The Princess of Wales’s sister-in-law, Alizée Thevenet, brought polished Parisian glamour to the French capital as she stepped out for a high-profile event on Thursday night.
Alizée, last seen publicly at Wimbledon alongside her husband, James Middleton, appeared in high spirits as she arrived in the Marais for the inaugural Longchamp Art Festival, held ahead of the exhibition’s opening today.
The 36-year-old embraced effortless French style for the occasion, pairing knee-high leather boots with a sleek black mini-skirt while making her appearance in one of the world’s fashion capitals.
For the glossy launch, she completed the look with a white blouse featuring fluted sleeves and a buckle-detail collar, adding Longchamp’s green Le Pliage shoulder bag, which retails for £335.
The financial analyst wore her sun-kissed blonde hair straight and chose a bronzed makeup look, while her large sapphire engagement ring was also on display — a jewel that has often drawn comparisons to the Princess of Wales’s ring from Prince William.
James proposed to Alizée during a weekend trip to the Lake District in 2019, and the couple later married in an intimate ceremony in Bormes-les-Mimosas on the Côte d’Azur in 2021. They welcomed their son, Inigo, two, in October 2023.
Although she is part of the Middleton family, Alizée generally keeps a low public profile. She often appears on James’s Instagram account, but her official and red-carpet outings remain relatively rare.
One notable appearance came at Royal Ascot this year, where she joined her mother-in-law, Carole Middleton, and the Princess of Wales as Kate returned to the Berkshire racecourse for the first time since completing her cancer treatment.
The Princess of Wales’s sister-in-law Alizee Thevenet cut a very glamorous figure as she attended an event in Paris last night
Alizee, who was last pictured at Wimbledon with her husband, was all smiles as she arrived for the first edition of Longchamp Art Festival in Marais, ahead of the exhibition opening today
In stark contrast to her look for the Longchamp Art Festival, Alizee opted for a conservative, vintage-inspired, white maxi dress and a boater hat.
In April, James marked his 39th birthday by sharing a sweet photo of himself and wife Alizée Thévenet – as eagle-eyed fans noticed a special link to the future Queen.
James, who earlier this month returned to Instagram after a prolonged break, entered the ‘final year of my 30s’ and documented his birthday with a selection of personal photos on Thursday.
One of the photos showed James planting a kiss on his wife Alizee’s cheek during a hiking trip to the Lake District, accompanied by the couple’s beloved dogs.
A royal style watcher later noticed the French financial analyst, 36, was wearing a brown gilet from Hide Park that looked strikingly similar to a style worn by Kate 20 years ago.
It is not known whether Alizee has the same taste in outerwear as her sister-in-law or borrowed the quilted jacket from Kate, who wore the piece several times before her royal wedding in 2011.
She was photographed wearing the Hide Park garment when Kate came out to support her then-boyfriend Prince William at the Field Game in an old boys’ match at his alma mater, Eton College, in March 2006.
While Kate styled it with a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans, a black sweater, and a pair of brown leather boots, Alizée picked a gorgeous yellow sweater and light-wash jeans to style it with.
Instagram user Middleton Maven noted that Pippa Middleton has also worn the same jacket, as one fan wondered if the gilet has ‘become one of those [pieces of]gear you leave at a country house for the whole family to grab after too many years’.
Alizee joined her mother-in-law, Carole Middleton, and the Princess at Royal Ascot this year as Kate returned to the Berkshire racecourse for the first time since completing her cancer treatment
In April, James marked his 39th birthday by sharing a sweet photo of himself and wife Alizée Thévenet – as eagle-eyed fans noticed a special link to the future Queen
James and Alizee wed on September 11, 2021 in Bormes-les-Mimosas, a medieval village in southeastern France.
A source told The Daily Mail at the time of their nuptials: ‘The wedding party was held at a Chateau Leoube. It is one of the most exclusive vineyards in the area.
‘Chateau Leoube makes exceptionally good wine, particularly the rose, which is known throughout France and overseas.
‘So it was only natural that the guests were served with Chateau Leoube wine, which they drank when they toasted James and Alizee. Many bottles of wine were drunk. Everyone had a good time.’
The couple met in 2018, when James’ cocker spaniel Ella approached her at a private members’ club in London.
While James popped the question to Alizee in September 2019, their wedding day was delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The couple share one child together – Inigo, two, who was born on September 21, 2023.
Since tying the knot, James has occasionally posted glimpses of his and Alizée’s rural life together, often surrounded by dogs, fields and fresh air.
James, who founded dog food company Ella & Co, has been open about his past struggles with depression, and has previously credited nature, animals, and fatherhood with transforming his mental health.
In 2021, he took to Instagram to detail his experience, writing, ‘It has been exactly 1255 days since I got diagnosed with clinical depression – but that day was the first day I learnt about mental health and how it is integral to the way we live our lives.’
Earlier this year, James spoke about the ‘pressure social media puts on us’, after fans noticed he had been inactive on Instagram for a while.
James made a social media comeback with adorable snaps of Carole reading a Beatrix Potter story to Inigo, as he wrote: ‘We are back.
‘Many of you have been asking if I am ok. I have been absent from social media for a while. The truth is, this Lent I decided to give up social media (and it was wonderful)
‘Sometimes we don’t fully realise the pressure social media puts on us until we take a step back. If I could offer one piece of advice for 2026, it would be to try it yourself; a week, a month, or even longer…’
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