James Middleton is saying goodbye to a beloved family member.

Kate Middleton’s younger brother announced via Instagram on Friday, Oct. 9, that his dog Zulu had died. James shared a series of photos featuring the black cocker spaniel, starting with a black-and-white portrait showing him holding the pup.

The social media post continued with a photo of James’ 3-year-old son with wife Alizee, Inigo, giving Zulu a kiss on the head as the dog lay on a bed outdoors. Inigo also appeared in a photo showing Zulu’s burial spot.

Another snap showed Zulu on an outdoor bed with the other members of James’ dog pack: golden retrievers Mabel and Isla, along with cocker spaniels Inka, Luna and Nala.

“My darling Zulu has passed away 🖤,” wrote James, 39.

James continued his caption by saying that despite mourning many pets before and writing about the grief that comes with it, “Nothing quite prepares you for this cacophony of emotions…”

“He would have been 16 this month. A wonderful age, and I know I couldn’t have asked for more,” he continued. “But that’s the funny thing about loving a dog. They are with us for only a handful of summers and Christmases, yet somehow become so deeply woven into our lives that it’s impossible to imagine them not being there. They share in our happiest moments, sit beside us through our darkest and ask for nothing more than our company. And when they leave, it’s not simply their absence we mourn, but the part of ourselves that went with them. Almost 16 years of memories and moments that belonged to the two of us. A lifetime for him, but never quite long enough for me…”

James wrote that he buried Zulu beside his mother, Ella, James’ beloved dog who died in 2023 and who he credited as his strength while struggling with depression. When James launched his all-natural pet food company in 2020, he named it Ella & Co. in her honor, later changing the name to James & Ella.

James wrote that he “likes to think” that Zulu had already found Ella, along with his brother Lupo — who was Princess Kate and Prince William’s family pet until his death in 2020 — and the rest of James’ pets through his life.

“That they’re all together again and he’s busy telling his mum everything she’s missed. All the adventures, all the changes in our lives and, most importantly, just how wonderful little Inigo is…” James said. “I’m going to have to stop here…”

He concluded, “Sleep well, my darling Zulu 🖤 I’m going to miss you terribly.”

Six weeks ago, James honored Zulu on International Dog Day, hinting that he was not going to live much longer.

“This is Zulu’s 15th International Dog Day and may well be his last….so today we are celebrating him 🐾❤️” James wrote, including a photo of Zulu, Ella and Lupo together that was taken 15 years earlier.

James previously opened up about his battle with depression, crediting his dogs with helping him pull through.

“Dogs have sort of played a really instrumental part of my life,” Princess Kate’s younger brother told ITV’s This Morning earlier this year. “During a time of when I had clinical depression, I really connected to understanding how much dogs give you, but … they don’t ask for anything in return.”

“During that time I made a vow that I would give try to give back to them as much as they give to me,” he said, adding, he’s “probably about five percent the way there.”

James shared that Ella “was the dog that I can attribute to saving my life.”

“It was a time when I couldn’t connect with humans. Humans I couldn’t translate how I was feeling. And somehow I think Ella understood how I was feeling,” he said. “During therapy sessions, I couldn’t say certain things out loud. And so my therapist said, ‘Look, go home and try and talk to Ella.’ “

“Ella, fortunately, was able to bring things out of me that I couldn’t vocalize previously,” he said. James later honored her in an emotional and candid memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life.

The pets, he shared, have made looking after his mental health a “little bit easier” because they “get me up in the morning. We get out for some for some fresh air. We go for a walk — whether it’s sunny or pouring with rain, we’ve got to go outside.”