James Middleton makes rare comment about his relationship with sister Kate – and says he ‘knows all her quirks’

• James Middleton told Good Morning Britain hosts about his very famous sister 
• READ MORE: James Middleton turned to the Good Life (and breeding spaniels) to find peace in the countryside with his pregnant wife… 

James Middleton has praised his sister ‘blossoming’ in her role as the Princess of Wales – but admitted that it can feel strange for him because he ‘knows all her quirks’.

Kate’s younger brother, 36, said he’s ‘extremely proud’ of all the work she does as part of her royal duties.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain – joined by his dogs Mabel and Isla – the entrepreneur revealed how impressive his sibling is.

‘She’s my sister,’ he explained. ‘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.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain – joined by his dogs Mabel and Isla – the entrepreneur revealed how impressive his sibling is

‘And actually to see her blossoming in that role I think is really… I’m very proud of her.’

James – who has been open about his struggles with clinical depression – has also praised the work which young royals – including especially his sister and brother-in-law – have done in the mental health space.

‘I think what’s fantastic is actually that they’re in a position where they are talking about their own mental health,’ he told Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard.

‘And I think it’s something that, you know, broadly it is a challenge and I remember early on in my… to say the words out loud that I was feeling depressed or I thought I  had depression was impossible.

‘But actually some of the work that they’ve been doing over time – it gave me the confidence to sort of speak out.

‘We all suffer from mental health and I think to be able to speak out about it – I felt like I had a responsibility to speak out. Because it was part of my journey to actually get to where I am now, which is where I’m in control of it.

‘It hasn’t gone, I don’t expect it  to go – but I’m now in control of it.’

James first opened up about his clinical depression – which initially hit him at the end of 2016 – in the article he wrote for the Daily Mail.

Kate’s younger brother, 36, said he’s ‘extremely proud’ of all the work she takes up in her royal duties. Kate pictured earlier this month 

James – who has been opened up about his struggles with clinical depression – has also praised the work which young royals – including especially his sister and brother-in-law – have done in the mental health space. Pictured left to right: James, Carole, King Charles, Prince William, Prince George, Kate and Princess Charlotte

‘I know I’m richly blessed and live a privileged life. But it did not make me immune to depression,’ he penned.

‘It is tricky to describe the condition. It is not merely sadness. It is an illness, a cancer of the mind.

‘It’s not a feeling but an absence of feelings. You exist without purpose or direction. I couldn’t feel joy, excitement or anticipation – only heart-thudding anxiety propelled me out of bed in the morning. I didn’t actually contemplate suicide — but I didn’t want to live in the state of mind I was in either.’

James said that he ‘couldn’t communicate’ with his loved ones, and their ‘anxious’ texts would get more frequent, but he would not reply to them. 

At his lowest, he refused to answer his door or phone calls. He listened to audiobooks, including Stephen Fry’s narration of the Harry Potter series. 

In 2017, he came close to shutting down his company Boomf, as he ‘barely functioned’ due to his depression. 

James has said his sisters, Pippa and Kate, and their parents were there for him during some very difficult times. Pictured at a special carol service in 2021

At the end of that year, James accepted that he needed help and called his doctor. Holding back a ‘waterfall of emotion’ James managed to say to her ‘I’m not OK. I need some help.’

He gave his permission to allow his doctor to speak to his family who had been worried about him for months. 

He took time off in January 2019 to learn about depression and go to therapy, while he and his family tried to navigate the complexity of the mental health condition.

James explained how his sisters, Pippa and Kate, and their parents were there for him during some very difficult times, and had the patience to help him even when they couldn’t fully understand what he was going through.

He said: ‘I was very lucky that they were willing to be involved and understood that it’s a process, there’s no quick fix to it.

‘And understanding the way that my mind works, which may differ from theirs or other people’s is a really important part, because it was was a process for me as much as it was a process for them, and I think as a family we grew from that.’

By speaking out, James said he felt as though a weight had been lifted and often talks openly about his depression in the press and on social media.

James’s black spaniel, Ella, was an important part of his journey, as she went with him to all of his therapy sessions. The pair volunteered at Pets As Therapy charity, with Ella being a trained therapy dog.

James said that Ella supported him ‘from my darkest days to my happiest’.

He currently has four cocker spaniels, Zulu, Inka, Luna, and Nala, and one golden retriever named Mabel who had a litter of eight puppies last summer. Pictured: James and his dog Ella who passed away this year

But at the start of this year, James had to say a hard goodbye to Ella, as she passed away aged 15 following a short illness. 

In an emotional Instagram post to his followers, he wrote: ‘It is with great sadness that I announce my dear Ella has passed away.

‘For 15 years Ella has been at my side, from my darkest days to my happiest. I’m going to miss her terribly.

‘Ella had a very short illness, she slipped away in my arms at home and is now buried in the garden alongside Tilly. I took this picture just a few hours before she died

‘I’m just about holding it together to write this, and despite the fact I knew this day was coming, it doesn’t make it any easier.

‘Goodnight my darling Ella, Alizee and the dogs will take good care of me.’

Therapy dog Ella did more than help him through the tough times – she even introduced him to his wife, Alizée.

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