James Middleton could’ve become a movie star, according to his new memoir.
The 37-year-old brother of Kate Middleton revealed that he was offered $1 million by an American production company to star in a movie after impressing royal wedding viewers with his Bible reading in 2011.
“They even ventured that members of my wider family might like to take part,” James wrote, according to an interview with The Times of London newspaper posted Sunday, September 22.
James said his reading at Kate’s wedding to Prince William was a big achievement for him due to his struggle with dyslexia, a learning disability. He’s still unsure how he was able to complete the task after witnessing the hubbub associated with a royal wedding.
“I’d never seen a royal wedding,” he told The Times. “There hadn’t been one in my lifetime. Not a big one anyway. I wasn’t aware of the scale or the global interest. I just felt privileged that my sister was asking me to do it, and it meant something to her. I wanted to make sure I did it.”
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His performance at the Westminster Abbey service was watched by millions of people across the world. In his book, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, he detailed the shock of being asked to read and his weeks-long preparation ahead of the ceremony.
“I carried [the reading] with me everywhere, taking it out of my pocket to practice the lines, over which I tripped and stumbled, transposing syllables, getting my ps and bs — my nemeses — in a twist,” he explained, adding that he was able to get through it with assistance from voice coach Anthony Gordon Lennox — who had “helped David Cameron when he was [prime minister” — and his dog Ella.
James noted that Ella was not allowed inside Westminster Abbey on Kate’s wedding day, but she was there the day before for the rehearsal. Her presence reminded him to look out for familiar faces to calm his nerves.
“I wanted to do [Kate and William] both proud,” he wrote. “I glanced up and saw happy faces I recognised in the congregation and the nervousness fell away. I took a deep breath … and began.”
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In his interview with The Times, James also commended his brother-in-law William, now 42, for always protecting his family from the intensity of being associated with the royals.
“William was a fantastic support for us as a family,” he said of the early years of courtship. “He did everything he could to protect us from the intense interest, not just in Catherine, but also her immediate family.”
James’ memoir Meet Ella shares memories of his beloved pup, who died in January 2023 after a short illness. It is set to be released on Thursday, September 26.
