In a recent interview with The Sunday Times , Middleton—who is busy promoting his upcoming book Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life —revealed that shortly after his sister and brother-in-law's wedding, he was offered $1 million from an American production company.
“They even ventured that members of my wider family might like to take part," he told the publication at the time, though clearly nothing came from the substantial offer (as of yet, anyway).
Middleton's new book discusses his mental health issues and struggles with suicidal ideation, and touches on the stress and anxiety he felt after Prince William and Princess Kate asked him to read a passage from the Bible during their nuptials.
"The wedding was barely eight weeks away when Catherine and William, on the phone together and bubbling with excitement, asked me brightly if I might be up to doing a reading on their big day at Westminster Abbey," Middleton writes in an excerpt shared with and published by the Daily Mail .
Brother of the bride, James Middleton seen before making a reading during the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. (Image credit: Getty Images)
"A reading? I thought they were joking. My mind raced back to school and my stumbling, incoherent efforts to read in front of the class. What were they thinking? Being dyslexic, reading is my least favorite occupation," he continued. "‘Seriously?’ I asked. ‘Seriously,’ they chorused. Oh no! I thought."
While apprehensive and still in disbelief, Middleton writes that he agreed to do the reading, hiding his true feelings from his sister and her soon-to-be husband.
"‘No problem at all!’ I fibbed breezily. If that was what my sister and William wanted, then of course I’d do my best not to let them down," he explains. "Then they added: ‘This will be the only Bible reading in the service,’ and I didn’t know whether to be honored or appalled."
In his recent interview with The Sunday Times, Middleton claimed that "really, the build-up to Catherine’s wedding was no different to Pippa’s or other friends’ weddings."
But as the publication notes, the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton was far from ordinary—it involved "just the family, 1,900 guests, Her Majesty, an archbishop and a few world leaders."
James Middleton (Image credit: Getty Images)
Middleton did admit that the media interest surrounding his family after his sister started dating the future King of England in 2004 was "shocking," but credits his now brother-in-law for trying to protect everyone involved.
“William was a fantastic support for us as a family,” he explained. “He did everything he could to protect us from the intense interest, not just in Catherine, but also her immediate family. But at that time I was already in a vulnerable state of mind and it was an added pressure.”
Despite the overwhelming pressure associated with conducting a reading during a royal wedding, Middleton said he knew that saying "yes" to his sister's request was important.
“I’d never seen a royal wedding,” he told the publication. “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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