James Middleton's awkward royal protocol blunder during hurried meeting with late Queen
James Middleton gives more insight into his private moments with the Royal Family.
The Princess of Wales's younger brother, James Middleton, once had quite the awkward encounter with the late Queen Elizabeth, according to his new book.
In the new book, which will be released on September 26, James opens up about his battle with depression and how his spaniel Ella, who's now passed away, was instrumental in saving his life.
But he also shares glimpses of his life behind the scenes, including moments with his sister and now brother-in-law and the rest of the royals.
In a segment serialised by the Daily Mail, James talks about the one time he met with the late Queen during his sister's birthday party and accidentally broke royal protocol.
He wrote: "Pippa and I were late for Catherine’s birthday party, which in the normal run of things wouldn’t have mattered too much, but this time the Queen had kindly offered to host the teatime gathering at Sandringham.
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"We’d been on a late-night flight to Gatwick from France and arrived bleary-eyed and sleepless at the airport, then I’d driven us both to Bucklebury so we could pack.
"I was fretting about the standard of my ironing – my shirt was rumpled and creased in all the wrong places – and I could only find one cufflink. ‘Come on James, we’ve got to go now,’ urged Pippa as I filled up Ella’s water bottle for the journey.
"We arrived breathless and flustered with barely time to run upstairs and change. I bounded downstairs two at a time and into the room where everyone was assembled for tea, almost running smack into Her Majesty.
"She and Prince Philip had got up to leave just as I blundered in with Pippa behind me.
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"All the way up to Norfolk I’d been rehearsing my lines, muttering: ‘Your Majesty’ for the Queen; ‘Your Royal Highness’ for the Duke of Edinburgh. But in my blind panic, I blurted: ‘I’m so sorry we’re late, Your Royal Majesty.’"
The blunder sparked laughter in the room, with James adding: "I heard a snort of laughter and looked past the Queen to see everyone in the room stifling their giggles. ‘Oh, how lovely to see you, James,’ she smiled.
"I’d met her several times, notably at my sister’s wedding, and she was always welcoming. ‘You must be hungry. Make sure you have something to eat."
