The Middleton family were catapulted into the spotlight when the Princess of Wales married Prince William in 2011, but having a royal in the family hasn’t affected their closeness in the slightest.
As Kate negotiates life as the future Queen and as a busy mum she still made sure she was there for her brother James when he needed support the most. Speaking to The Times in a piece published during Mental Health Awareness Week, he has described how Kate helped to show him it’s “OK to not be OK’ when he was struggling with his mental health.
This challenging time is something James has been open about for years – and he says that his parents “instilled” this in him, Kate and Pippa “right from the start”.
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
The Princess’ brother reflected upon the time he was “spiralling out of control” and that it was only after he was diagnosed that he “came to terms with the fact that [he] could have depression”.
Two years of therapy helped him to find himself again, adding, “And you know, credit to my sister and brother-in-law for what they were doing with Heads Together at the time.”
The Waleses’ campaign focused on tackling the stigma surrounding mental health and changing the conversations around it – and the message really stuck with James.
“I was aware of what they were doing. It was sort of the general message of, you know, it’s OK to not be OK,” he said.
(Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)
Having Kate and Pippa at therapy sessions with him meant a lot to James, too. He called their support “so incredible” and believes it brought them closer as a family.
Years later, he returned this support when the Princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and knew that he should be guided by what his big sister needed.
James declared, “For her and her family it was a challenging time, and I know for us and our bigger family it was a challenging time, but I think it’s about communication and it’s about offering support and help where you can. Being there for someone is such an important part, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be on your terms and it shouldn’t be on your terms.”
In his view, “it should be on their terms; unconditional: ‘I’m not doing it for something in return. I’m doing it because I love you.’ And that’s the simplest way of really demonstrating love. You can do it in all these various fancy ways but actually, you know, it is just generally being there.”
This likely meant a lot to Kate, who made her diagnosis public with a heartfelt video in March last year. The same day as she released this, James posted a family photo of the two of them as children, writing, “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.”
It’s clear that her brother and the rest of her family were there for her every step of the way and the Princess confirmed in January that she is now in remission.
She has been easing back into public duties and her loved ones and the natural world have been a huge focus in social media posts and messages in recent months.
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