The following article includes mentions of mental health and suicide.
However, a closer look at James' life shows that things are not always what they seem.
As a student, he struggled to perform well in school.
His grades were so poor that he left his family feeling perpetually disappointed in his efforts.
All of this catalyzed the perfect storm that would propel James into years of struggle and tragedy.
Eventually, he was diagnosed with dyslexia.
He also alluded to how some of his classmates even bullied him for misreading words during class.
There was a certain amount of teasing," James revealed.
Kate, meanwhile, showed a similar level of academic prowess, earning 11 GCSE’s and three A-levels.
Compared to his sisters, James often felt like a failure.
At the time, James was crushed by this cruel question.
What’s more, James' own parents simply didn’t understand why he struggled so much in school.
In their day, Carole and Michael Middleton were great students who excelled in a number of different subjects.
“It’s forever frustrating to be compared.
Even back when James was a student, tuition at Marlborough College was not cheap.
The reason for this disparaging comment is that James had failed his chemistry A-levels for the fourth time.
Neither Carole nor Michael quite understood why their son continually failed his exams.
As an institution, Marlborough College was similarly horrified by James' chemistry scores.
At one point, he even referred to his results as a “humiliating record” for the school.
James' weak grades did nothing to boost his confidence as he grew older.
If anything, his academic status began to chip away at his self-esteem.
Unfortunately for James Middleton, this is not exactly what happened during his Marlborough College days.
On top of struggling to perform academically, James found himself unable to forge friendships.
Over the weekends, Carole Middleton would make a run at encourage James to invite his buddies over.
However, James didn’t want to spend any more time with his classmates than he already had to.
He just wanted to spend time with the family dog, Tilly.
But dogs never judged me.
Mum asked repeatedly if I wanted to bring friends home to stay at weekends.
But truthfully all I wanted to do was to see Tilly” (viaThe Times).
He dropped out of university and tried to start a business.
However, he still struggled to complete minor tasks.
It explained so much" (via the Daily Mail).
The diagnosis also allowed James to develop strategies for coping with his learning disability.
If anything, James thought that he might find himself through entrepreneurship.
Although James' optimism was commendable, it was not necessarily realistic.
Nevertheless, in 2007, he founded The Cake Kit Company.
The enterprise sold cake-baking assembly kits complete with frosting and a baking tin.
And, at first, the company was successful.
James' had even planned to sell his products throughCarole Middleton’s controversial party planning website, Party Pieces.
Over time, however, questions arose about the quality of James' product.
Cake sales slowly came to a halt, and by 2015, James had to close up shop.
For James Middleton, though, this was especially hard.
The vanilla sponges tastes like a cheap supermarket cake oily rather than buttery, and bland."
Because of Catherine’s fame, James' failures garnered media attention in a way that was uniquely humiliating.
This likely made the young entrepreneur feel even worse about his business disappointments.
He battled with insomnia and struggled to concentrate on running his businesses.
Most of all, he felt a distinctive lack of joy in his daily life.
Debilitating inertia gripped me.
I couldn’t respond to the simplest message, so I didn’t open my emails."
Over time, James' symptoms got worse.
He would spend entire evenings pacing in his home.
He also experienced suicidal thoughts.
Before long, James realized that he needed to seek help.
After calling his general practitioner, James was given a referral to speak to a psychiatrist.
He underwent therapy and learned more about depression.
As he learned more and more about the condition, James realized that he wanted to share his story.
“I know I’m richly blessed and live a privileged life.
But it did not make me immune to depression.
It is tricky to describe the condition.
It is not merely sadness.
It is an illness, a cancer of the mind,” James wrote in his 2019 article.
Unfortunately, Carole and Michael Middleton did not know a lot about the condition.
At first, they were not sure how to be supportive.
Their intentions were kind.
They were hugely supportive.
But some of their suggestions were not constructive.
They were resistant to therapy.
And their biggest worry was that I would become dependent on antidepressant drugs" (viaGBNews).
Meanwhile, his two older sisters Kate and Pippa Middleton stepped up and even accompanied him to therapy.
As James wrote in his memoir, “Catherine and Pippa come on board, and they understand.
James' dog Ella stood by his side throughout much of his mental health journey.
On the nights when he needed a friend and confidante, Ella was ever the faithful hound.
Because of everything that James and Ella experienced together, the pair developed a close bond.
Whenever James spent the night on royal grounds, his dog did too.
When Ella died in January 2023, James was understandably crushed.
For 15 years Ella has been at my side, from my darkest days to my happiest.
I’m going to miss her terribly.”
“I’m just about holding it together to write this,” he wrote.
In 2024, James was particularly affected when his sisterPrincess Catherine was diagnosed with cancer.
As a family, we will climb this one with you too."
In an appearance on the “Today Show,” James explained the thought behind the post.
“I like the metaphor of climbing a mountain.
It’s something that we’ve done as a family all of our lives.
And you have to respect a mountain,” he shared.
