Kate Middleton's Relationship With Family Through the Years

Publish date: 0001-01-01

Princess Kate Middleton was fully thrust into the spotlight when she and Prince William dated for more than a decade before tying the knot in 2011. But just because she became a royal doesn’t mean she pushed her own family out of her life.

In fact, the Princess of Wales has remained close with her younger siblings, sister Pippa Middleton and brother James Middleton, from birth.

“We spend a lot of time together. We still do a lot together as a family. We’re very close,” Pippa told NBC in 2014. “We have a very normal, sisterly relationship. And, you know, we support each other and get each other’s opinions and things.”

Pippa also served as maid of honor at Kate and William’s wedding, and James read a passage from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible at their 2011 nuptials.

While promoting a mental health campaign in 2017, Kate opened up about why she’s so interested in advocating for the wellbeing of children across the globe, noting that parents Michael Middleton and Carole Middleton taught her about the importance of qualities like “kindness, respect and honesty.”

“I realize how central values like these have been to me throughout my life. That is why William and I want to teach our little children, George and Charlotte, just how important these things are as they grow up,” she said at the time, per The Standard. “In my view it is just as important as excelling at maths or sport.”

She continued, “People often ask me why I am so interested in the mental health of children and young people. The answer is quite simple: it is because I think that every child should have the best possible start in life. When I was growing up I was very lucky. My family was the most important thing to me.”

William also has a good relationship with his wife’s family. In May 2021, the Prince of Wales opened up about missing his in-laws amid quarantining during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Some people are quite happy they haven’t seen their in-laws for a year,” he said while spending time with emergency responders in Scotland, according to Marie Claire U.K. “I love my in-laws.”

Keep reading to find out about Kate’s relationship with her family.

Carole Middleton

Carole and Kate’s relationship has always been tight.

Though Carole typically does not speak out herself, the Party Pieces founder told The Telegraph in 2018 that she was heavily involved in planning the royal wedding.

“We talked about music…everything. I was involved lots with both Pip’s and Catherine’s weddings,” she said.

While speaking to Good Housekeeping in 2021, Carole opened up about her close relationship with her grandkids. William and Kate share three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

“I want to run down the hills, climb the trees, and go through the tunnel at the playground,” she told the outlet at the time. “As long as I am able to, that’s what I’ll be doing. I cook with them, I muck around dancing, we go on bike rides.”

Royal author Phil Dampier revealed in June 2021 that Kate also “turns to her for advice and comfort all the time” and reiterated that she spends “a lot of time” with William and Kate’s kids.

After Kate announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, a royal insider told Us Weekly that her mom has been by her side and is a constant source of support.

“Her mom has been staying with her to help her recuperate,” the source said. Carole was also photographed heading to an appointment with Kate earlier that month.

In April 2024, Carole and husband Michael were “forced to sell Party Pieces in May 2023 due to mounting debts,” according to U.K.’s The Times, but Carole put her role as a mother above all else

“No one in the royal family is embarrassed by the failure of Party Pieces,” author Christopher Andersen, who has penned bestselling books about the royals including Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Megan, exclusively told Us Weekly.

Another source added, “Carole is desperately trying to keep Catherine fully focused on her recovery. It’s a very worrying time for the family but they are not looking for any assistance from their children and don’t want them to worry.”

Michael Middleton

Kate and her dad Michael have had a solid relationship through the years. Though Kate and Pippa were born in the United Kingdom, Michael moved their family to Jordan in 1984 while working for British Airways and lived there for nearly three years. Kate’s former teacher told The Daily Mail in 2023 that the doting dad would sometimes pick her up while wearing his uniform, adding, “The kids used to get very excited and run to see him.”

Ahead of Kate and William’s 2011 nuptials – where Michael walked his eldest child down the aisle – William shared a sweet and funny story about asking for Kate’s hand in marriage.

“Well, I was torn between asking Kate’s dad first and then the realization that he might actually say no dawned upon me,” he said. “So I thought if I ask Kate first, then he can’t really say no. So I did it that way round.”

The pair also have fun outside of her royal duties. The father-daughter duo attended Wimbledon together in 2021, and that same year, both Michael and Carole attended Kate’s first-ever Christmas carol concert alongside Pippa and James.

Pippa Middleton

Kate has had a close relationship with younger sister Pippa (born in September 1983) since they were young, and their strong bond has continued to flourish into adulthood.

Pippa became a fixture in the media after serving as Kate’s maid of honor during her royal wedding to William in 2011, wearing a form-fitting gown that nearly stole the show.

“We spend a lot of time together,” she said during a 2014 Today show appearance. “We can sort of be normal with each other, treat each other normally, and that’s sort of kept us all fixed to the ground. We’re very close.”

Though Kate “had no idea” that Pippa was about to get engaged to now-husband James Matthews in 2016, a source told Us Weekly at the time that “Kate is so happy for Pippa. She knows how much this means to her and how much she loves James.”

The sisters have been by each other’s sides through some of the biggest moments of their lives, including births. Just hours after Kate and William welcomed their youngest child, Prince Louis, in 2018, Pippa visited the happy family at Kensington Palace.

In 2021, Pippa honored her sister by giving her and Matthews’ older daughter Grace the same middle name as the Duchess of Wales: Elizabeth.

James Middleton

James is the youngest Middleton sibling, born April 1987. Though he typically keeps out of the spotlight, he’s made a few rare comments over the years that give insight into his relationship with Kate.

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“I’m extremely proud,” he 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.”

After Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, James broke his silence on his sister’s health in a throwback photo of the pair shared via Instagram.

“Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too ⛰️❤️,” he wrote.