Kate Middleton's younger brother married his long-term girlfriend in a French village, accompanied by family and pets

• James Middleton, Kate Middleton's brother, married his girlfriend Alizée Thevenet on Saturday.
• The youngest Middleton sibling met his new bride, a financial analyst, in 2018.
• Surrounded by family and pets, the couple got married in an intimate ceremony in a French village.

James Middleton, the younger brother of the Duchess of Cambridge, married his long-term girlfriend Alizée Thevenet in a small French village over the weekend, Middleton announced in an Instagram post on Sunday.

The couple got engaged in September 2019 but were forced to postpone their wedding twice due to COVID-19 restrictions, Middleton said on Instagram in September 2020.

Uploading a sunlit selfie with his new bride on Sunday, the 34-year-old wrote: "Yesterday I married the love of my life surrounded by family, friends and of course a few dogs," adding that the wedding took place in "the beautiful village" of Bormes-les-Mimosas, in the southeastern region of France.

"Words cannot describe how happy I am," he added.

A post shared by James Middleton (@jmidy)

The guest list reportedly included Pippa Middleton and her husband James Matthews as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, according to Hello! Magazine. The duchess' reported attendance would mark one of her first appearances since she and Prince William attended the Euro 2020 football final at Wembley Stadium along with their eldest son Prince George on July 11.

According to an article Middleton wrote in The Telegraph in March 2021, the couple have his spaniel Ella to thank for their chance meeting at a private members club in Chelsea in 2018.

"Ella was lying at my feet under the table; realizing she might want some water, I trusted her to take herself over to the water bowl across the terrace. However, she made a beeline for Alizée," he said.

"Rather embarrassed, I went over to apologize and bring Ella back. But Alizée thought I was the waiter and ordered her drink while continuing to stroke Ella, who at this point was on her back lapping up the attention," Middleton added. "Little did I know, but I had just met my future wife, all thanks to Ella."

In his article, Middleton added that the couple have six dogs, five spaniels, and a working golden retriever, and has previously credited Ella in particular for helping him with his mental health.

"She was the one who introduced me to Alizée, she supported me during my experience with clinical depression, she has kept me young & active," Middleton captioned an Instagram post of him and Ella uploaded on his birthday in April.

Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.