James Middleton shares sweet childhood photo of Kate Middleton as he promises to stick by his sister following cancer diagnosis

Following the public announcement of Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis, her brother James Middleton has shared a sweet childhood photo of the pair and promised to help her through her recovery.

Not a single royal fan wasn't both shocked and heartbroken over Kate Middleton's announcement on Friday evening that she has been out of the public eye recently due to a shock cancer diagnosis. 

In her video statement, Kate revealed that following her abdominal surgery in January, she was told her condition was cancerous and is currently undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy to ensure her condition does not worsen. 

Of course, this time has been deeply upsetting for both her and her family, with the Princess sharing that both her and Prince William have been overly cautious of publicity due to their three young children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, 5, whom they don't wish to be exposed to extra sources of worry - though the rumours about their mum's health have already had a massive ‘impact’ on the youngsters. 

Following the news, family members both royal and not turned to social media to show their support for Kate and her young family in this trying time. The sweetest message came from Kate's brother James who posted an adorable childhood snap of the pair to his Instagram. 

The photo shows a teenage Kate and adolescent James on a hiking trip, a stunning green mountain and blue sky sitting behind them as they both smile, at peace in the greenery around them. 

Alongside the picture, he wrote a heartfelt message to his older sibling, "Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too."

The siblings are incredibly close and there is no doubt that James will be on hand to offer support, both practical and emotional, for his sister throughout this journey, just as she was there for him as he struggled with depression. 

But he will also know when to back off and give his sister space. As he shared in an interview back in 2021, when he began treatment for his mental health, the closeness of his family often felt a bit too much and he's sure to sympathise with Kate now everyone is rallying around her. 

"It's the same with all my family. We are very close and I think that can be… a challenge," he told The Telegraph. "And I do remember feeling that I almost had to say to them, 'I'll be back, but this is a process and it's going to take time for me to recover'." 

In other royal news, Queen Camilla has shared some hilarious insight into her grandson’s personality - but caused confusion over his name, while Prince Harry has revealed the sweet details of Queen Elizabeth’s final meeting with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Plus Prince William and Prince Harry’s rivalry was ‘inevitable’ and can be traced back to their childhood, says childhood trauma expert.