The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child, and luckily for James Middleton, his village includes two big sisters, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Pippa Matthews. The youngest of the three Middleton children, James was the last to become a parent, welcoming his first son, Inigo, in September 2023.
He's now revealed that having his experienced older siblings "at the end of the phone" whenever he needs some advice gives him "confidence" as a dad, adding that he "fortunate to be a very close family".
"It’s the confidence. You’re always on edge with being a parent, particularly this time of year with coughs and colds and sniffles going around the place," he told HELLO!.
"They’re definitely at the end of the phone if we need a bit of advice," he continued. "And equally, they know that I’m on the end of the phone if they need a bit of advice on managing their dogs."
The siblings' enduring closeness and determination to be there for each other whenever they're needed is something woman&home.com's Royal Editor Emma Shacklock isn't "surprised by".
"I’m not at all surprised to hear that the Princess of Wales is always there to offer parenting advice to her brother James when he needs it," she says. "She might be one of the highest-ranking members of the Royal Family, but Catherine remains as close to her family as ever."
Emma adds, "The Middletons are a tight-knit unit who support one another throughout the highs and lows of life, and the Princess’s experience as a mum-of-three will be invaluable to James."
As well as being on hand to offer "confidence" boosting advice, there's another parenting benefit for James of having Catherine and Pippa as older siblings. There are always plenty of hand-me-downs for little Inigo, with James explaining, "there is an abundance of paraphernalia that comes in very handy".
Reflecting upon how Inigo navigates life with some very famous cousins - his eldest cousin, Prince George, of course being second in the line of succession - James shared that the family are just a regular family, at the end of the day.
"I think we’re really fortunate to be a very close family, and so we get together as a family relatively regularly, and love that opportunity. There’s seven grandchildren, so six cousins for him, and it’s wonderful them spending time together and making memories," James explained.
James’s heart-warming insight into the family dynamics comes as part of his work as an Ambassador for the Dog’s Trust. He's held this position with the dog rehoming charity since 2024 and his connection with dogs runs deep, with James previously sharing how his late dog Ella helped him through his mental health struggle.
Lupo, one of Ella’s puppies, became William and Catherine’s family pooch, until his death in November 2020. The Wales family now have Orla, another black cocker spaniel, who was also bred by James.
