James Middleton is opening up about just how much his family, especially his royal sister, the Princess of Wales, means to him.
The 38-year-old entrepreneur and mental health advocate says it’s the emotional support from his loved ones that helped him cope with some incredibly low points in his life. And at the heart of that support system? His older sister is Kate Middleton, now known to the world as Duchess Catherine.
Speaking to The Mirror, James didn’t hold back about the strength of their sibling connection. “I’m incredibly fortunate to have my two sisters, not just as siblings, but as friends,” he said, referring to Catherine, 43, and Pippa, 41. “They’ve seen me at my best and at my lowest, and they’ve always been there when I’ve needed them.”
It’s not the first time James has opened up about his struggles with mental health. He’s previously spoken about battling depression and how therapy, his dogs, and nature helped him heal. But in this interview, he focused on the emotional foundation his family gave him growing up, and how it shaped the way he handles life now.
“Sibling love is something unique,” he said. “You can’t choose your siblings; it can be complicated; it takes work, but when it’s strong, I believe it’s one of the most powerful bonds there is.” That strength is something James clearly values deeply, and it started in childhood.
James was raised in Berkshire by Carole and Michael Middleton, now 70 and 75. He describes their home life as idyllic and emotionally rich. “They’ve always been emotionally open, expressive, and in tune with the people around them,” he said of his parents and sisters. “And I think being surrounded by that kind of emotional intelligence rubbed off on me, even if I didn’t fully know it at the time.”
That upbringing gave him permission to feel his emotions and talk about them, though he admits it didn’t come easily, especially as a man. “Looking back, I think it gave me permission, in a way, to feel things more deeply and to name those feelings when they came up,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I always found it easy. In fact, like a lot of men, I struggled with expressing how I was doing when I was at my lowest.”
He credits the strong women in his life, especially Catherine and Pippa, for helping him learn that vulnerability isn’t a weakness. “Having strong women around me who led with compassion and honesty definitely helped me learn that vulnerability wasn’t weakness; it was strength.”
James’s journey to emotional openness wasn’t just influenced by family. In recent years, he’s also found strength in love. In September 2021, he married French financial analyst Alizée Thevenet. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Inigo, in 2023. Becoming a husband and father has deepened James’s understanding of emotional connection even more, and he continues to advocate for mental health awareness with raw honesty.
Despite being related to one of the most public figures in the world, James has always maintained a certain down-to-earth charm. He’s not interested in fame, ust in telling the truth about what it means to struggle and survive. And while being the brother of Duchess Catherine may draw public attention, it’s the personal bond they share that really matters to him.
The Middleton family’s emotional closeness isn’t something you hear about every day, especially in royal-adjacent circles where people often hide behind public appearances. But for James, that closeness quite literally saved his life.
So while the world sees Catherine as a poised royal figure, James sees her as a rock, someone who has always shown up when it counted. His story is a reminder that even when life feels overwhelming, having the right people by your side can make all the difference. And sometimes, that person is your big sister.
