Kate Middleton’s brother James has revealed the added pressure he faced when she began dating Prince William, while also suffering bouts of depression that helped him “figure out who he is”

Kate Middleton’s brother has opened up about the pressure of being thrown into the spotlight when his sister began dating Prince William.

James Middleton has spoken openly about his battle with mental health over the years and has previously credited his older sister and brother-in-law for their support.

Now, he has revealed there was added pressure when the now Princess of Wales started dating her now husband, leading to her 37-year-old brother becoming “famous by default”. Writing for the Telegraph, James said: “I found my 20s really challenging. I’ve only figured out who I am after going through depression.

“I wish I hadn’t had to go through it to find it. But if you don’t have hard times you can’t appreciate the good ones. There was an added pressure when Catherine and William started dating. I’m famous by default; the association has never been my choice.”

Last month, James spoke to the Mirror ahead of the release of his tell-all memoir. James’ memoir Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, candidly explores his mental health journey and suicidal thoughts, and how his beloved cocker spaniel Ella helped to pull him back from the brink. The touching book also delves into the unwavering support given to him by his family, including his sister, and how he first confided in them about his struggles in 2017 before publicly speaking about them in 2019.

He told the Mirror: “When I first publicly spoke about my depression, they were launching their Heads Together charity and that was great for me to learn and understand and have a platform. As I’ve said, I didn’t believe I was allowed to have mental health or depression and that work was a good catalyst for me to want to speak out because I can’t ever avoid or hide away from who my sister is, I will always be her brother. But it made me feel confident enough and supportive enough in what they were speaking about in what I felt. ”

James details in his book his family’s support during his mental health struggles, and he said it has been much of the same through their recent trials. He said: “I think as a family, we are a close family and through the experiences of my mental health and challenges we’ve faced over the years, we’ve learned to be a support for each other and that comes in different shapes and forms. I think we are very much in that supportive place for each other, which I recognise we are really lucky to have as not all families have it.”