Although they are five years apart, Princess Kate Middleton and her younger brother, James Middleton, have developed a strong bond.
The duo’s parents, Michael Middleton and Carole Middleton, welcomed daughters Kate and Pippa Middleton in 1982 and 1983, respectively, followed by James in 1987.
While James tends to keep out of the public eye, he has given some insight into his close relationship with his older sister.
“I’m extremely proud,” James said on a July 2023 episode of Good Morning Britain via a video shared by The Daily Mail. “I’m always taken aback by how much she does do, and that does always continue to sit at the forefront of my mind. But actually, to be honest, she’s my sister – so I know all of her sort of quirks and everything. And actually, to see her blossoming in that role, I’m very proud of her.”
James also showed his support for Kate after she announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.
“Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too ⛰️❤️,” he wrote via Instagram at the time.
Keep scrolling to see more sweet moments between Kate and James:
January 2019
James opened up about his battle with depression and how Kate gave him the strength to speak out about what he was going through.
“I feel compelled to talk about [my depression] openly because this is precisely what my brother-in-law Prince William, my sister Catherine and Prince Harry are advocating through their mental health charity Heads Together,” he shared in an interview with The Daily Mail. “They believe we can only tackle the stigma associated with mental illness if we have the courage to change the national conversation, to expel its negative associations. So it wouldn’t be honest to suppress my story. I want to speak out, and they are my motivation for doing so.”
October 2019
James revealed that he spent nearly a year in cognitive behavioral therapy, along with his family, including Kate, after he went to a private psychiatric hospital for a consultation.
“That was so important because that helped them understand me and how my mind was working,” he told The Telegraph at the time. “And I think the way the therapy helped me was that I didn’t need my family to say, ‘What can we do?’ The only thing they could do was just come to some of the therapy sessions to start to understand.”
February 2020
James gave Kate a shoutout on social media for her work on a new mental health advocacy program.
“This isn’t a post about dogs … brace yourselves. BUT it’s in huge support of my wonderful Sister’s ‘Early Years’ initiative to ask ‘5 big questions on the under fives,” he wrote via Instagram. “Like me, even if you don’t have children, your own experiences will help invest in the future of the next generation.”
June 2020
James revealed that Kate helped give him a special birthday gift that still remains close to his heart more than a decade later.
“I’d always harbored a longing to keep bees, but it wasn’t until I turned 24 in 2011 that the wish became reality,” he wrote in a lengthy essay published via the Daily Mail at the time. “Then, my family – mum, dad and my sisters Catherine and Pippa – clubbed together to buy what for me was the most fantastic birthday gift imaginable.”
January 2021
Following the death of their dog Lupo, Us Weekly confirmed that James had gifted a new dog to Kate and her family. (Kate and her husband, Prince William, share three children: George, Charlotte and Louis.)
January 2023
James thanked Kate and Pippa for joining him in therapy sessions as he was going through depression and dealing with the death of his dog, Ella.
“My sisters came to some of my therapy sessions. They’ve always been there during difficult times and they were at my side during the hardest of times as well,” James wrote in an essay for The Sunday Times, adding that they also came to Ella’s funeral to “say their goodbyes.”
March 2024
“Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too ⛰️❤️,” James wrote via Instagram alongside a throwback photo of him and Kate as kids following the announcement of his sister’s cancer diagnosis.
