Prince George, Charlotte and Louis had the sweetest five-word reaction to meeting baby cousin
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were still children themselves when they first met their youngest cousin, Inigo Middleton. But James Middleton’s account of that family gathering reveals just how fascinated they were by the tiny newborn.
The three royal children reportedly looked at baby Inigo and asked the same simple question: “Was I ever that small?”
The touching moment was recalled by James Middleton, the younger brother of Catherine, Princess of Wales, in his memoir Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life. James and his wife, Alizée Thevenet, welcomed their first and only child, Inigo, on September 21, 2023.
Inigo turns three on September 21, 2026.
A family gathering at the Middletons’ home
The first meeting took place just two days after Inigo’s birth, when the wider Middleton family gathered at Michael and Carole Middleton’s home.
Prince William and Catherine were there with George, Charlotte and Louis, while Catherine’s sister Pippa Middleton also attended with her husband and their two children.
It was a particularly family-focused occasion, bringing together the Middleton cousins to meet the newest member of their extended family.
James later described the gathering in Meet Ella, recalling how the children reacted when they saw Inigo for the first time.
According to his account, the cousins were fascinated by how small the newborn was. Their reaction was summed up in the five-word question: “Was I ever that small?”
The children then took turns holding the baby.
George, Charlotte and Louis were already looking ahead
James also recalled that the children quickly began thinking about the future.
There is a ten-year age difference between George and Inigo, and the older cousins were apparently excited about the prospect of having him join them when he was old enough.
For the children, Inigo was not simply the newest baby in the family. He was another cousin who would eventually be old enough to take part in their adventures.
That anticipation was especially notable given the close relationship traditionally associated with the Middleton family.
George, Charlotte and Louis have several cousins on their mother’s side, and Inigo became the youngest member of that generation when he was born in September 2023.
By September 2026, George is 13, Charlotte is 11 and Louis is eight, while Inigo has reached his third birthday.
James Middleton captured the moment in his memoir
James included the family gathering in Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, which explores his relationship with his beloved dog Ella alongside major moments in his personal life.
The memoir was published in the UK on September 26, 2024.
In the passage about Inigo’s first family gathering, James described the children’s amazement at seeing such a tiny baby and their eagerness to take turns cuddling him.
He also recalled the reaction of his parents, Michael and Carole, who were delighted to welcome another grandson.
For Carole in particular, the occasion carried an amusing sense of disbelief. Her youngest child had become a father himself, while she still thought of James as her baby.
The moment offered a glimpse of a more ordinary side of the Middleton family, away from royal ceremonies and public appearances. William and Catherine’s children were simply older cousins meeting a newborn relative for the first time.
Inigo’s place in the Middleton family
James and Alizée announced their engagement in September 2019 and married in France in 2021. They welcomed Inigo two years later, making him James’s first child.
James has spoken about how important family has become in the years since Inigo’s arrival. In interviews surrounding the publication of his memoir, he described becoming a father as part of a new chapter in his life.
The young boy has also appeared occasionally in glimpses shared by his parents, although James and Alizée generally keep their family life private.
Inigo’s arrival added another connection between the Middleton cousins, bringing George, Charlotte and Louis together with a younger member of their family who was, quite literally, small enough to fit in their laps.
And according to James’s recollection, the sight of their tiny cousin prompted an innocent question that perfectly captured their amazement at just how much they themselves had grown:
“Was I ever that small?”
