James Middleton recently opened up about his long battle with clinical depression in a feature with the Daily Mail - and thoughtfully, he made sure to support his eldest sister the Duchess of Cambridge with the candid article. Instead of accepting payment for the piece, he decided to instead ask for donations to two charities - one of which is Heads Together, the mental health cause Kate founded with husband Prince William and brother-in-law Prince Harry. A note at the end of the piece reads: "No fee has been paid for this article. At James’ request a donation has been made to Pets As Therapy and Heads Together."
James with sister Kate and brother-in-law William
The lengthy article, written by James, reveals that he struggled to communicate with his friends and family over the difficult period, and also touches on his struggle with dyslexia and being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). "I couldn’t communicate, even with those I loved best: my family and close friends. Their anxious texts grew more insistent by the day, yet they went unanswered as I sank progressively deeper into a morass of despair," he writes.
He added that it was actually Kate's mental health campaign that had convinced him to come forward about his experiences. He explained: "I feel compelled to talk about it openly because this is precisely what my brother-in-law Prince William, my sister Catherine and Prince Harry are advocating through their mental health charity Heads Together."
James support the Royal Foundation charity, Heads Together
Writing about whether he thought his heightened public profile as a close relation to the royal family was a factor in his depression, he added: "People have asked me, too, if my public profile has made it harder for me. Would I have become so depressed if I hadn’t been subject to the pressure of public scrutiny that comes with my association with the Royal Family? The answer is, I believe I would. But I wouldn’t have found a voice or an outlet for my story if it hadn’t been for the people I’m related to."
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Kate, William and Harry launched Heads Together in May 2016. All three royals – though they are of course now joined by the Duchess of Sussex on the campaign, too – have shown a passion for a particular area of mental health, with William often speaking out on men's issues. At the launch in 2016, he said: "My thing really is to get more men talking about their issues before it is too late, and to stop feeling so strong and unable to seek help."