Nowadays, the family are nearby to one another, with Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton living in Bucklebury, which is a 40-minute drive from where the Waleses live in Windsor
The Middleton family will play a key supporting role in helping to support Kate, William and their children during the next few months as the Princess undergoes cancer treatment, it is believed.
The Princess of Wales ‘ parents, sister Pippa and brother James will be there for her during her recovery, as she undergoes a course of preventative chemotherapy after cancer was found following abdominal surgery.
In the hours after the Princess of Wales made the announcement about her cancer diagnosis, James Middleton wrote: “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.”
James, 36, made the comments on social media and shared a childhood photo of him and his sister out hiking. Nowadays, the family are nearby to one another, with Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton living in Bucklebury, which is a 40-minute drive from where the Waleses live in Windsor.
Meanwhile Pippa, her husband James Matthew and their three children live close by in Berkshire. The Times reports that since Kate had her surgery in January, the Middletons have been a regular source of support for the young Royals.
Carole has been helping to look after George, Charlotte and Louis, with some media outlets also choosing to share a photograph of Carole and Kate taken near Windsor, coming back from a school run with Carole driving. Kate remains very close to Carole, and Kate’s brother James, who has experienced depression, formerly talked about the support his sisters have given him.
Writing in The Sunday Times last year about his devastation at the death of his cocker spaniel Ella, he said that his sisters had attended some of his therapy sessions. “They’ve always been there during difficult times and they were at my side during the hardest of times as well,” he wrote. “For that, I am forever grateful.”
Her siblings, James and Pippa, will also be providing emotional support. Before joining the royal family, Pippa and Kate shared a flat together in Chelsea – and Pippa was a bridesmaid when Kate married William in 2011.
The Middleton family will also be supporting William as he attempts to take the burden off his wife. Before he and Kate got married, the Middleton family gave William some degree of a normal life, away from the pressures of being second in line to the throne.
William was welcomed into their close-knit family, and when Kate and William briefly split up, Carole allegedly told her daughter to put on a brave face. Following the pair’s wedding, William saw the Middletons more frequently than his own father and sometimes referred to Michael as “Dad”.
Growing up, Carole and Michael put their children first and were eager to offer them a wealth of opportunities such as a private education, singing, time spend outdoors and lots of sport playing. Their home was a safe place and sanctuary – and the family will continue to offer Kate comfort during this difficult time.
