James Middleton has offered a glimpse into his family’s Christmas traditions and how they’ve evolved now that he and his siblings, Pippa and the Princess of Wales, are parents themselves.
In a column for The Sunday Times, the father of one reflected on how fatherhood has transformed his travel habits. While he once arrived at airports “as late as possible,” James now prefers to get there “five hours early” since welcoming his son, Inigo.
The 37-year-old also reminisced about past family holidays with his parents and siblings, recalling how they would “pack up the car and drive somewhere.” Favorite destinations included the Swiss Alps, such as Les Masses or Avoriaz in France, and the Lake District, where they stayed in cottages around Coniston Water and Windermere.
“It’s a very special place for us as a family, and the adventures we’d get up to as kids – from rock climbing on the crags to exploring the caves – were like something from The Famous Five,” he wrote.
Now that James, Pippa, and Kate have their own families, their holiday traditions have naturally shifted. However, James emphasized that they “always make sure to spend time as a wider family so that the cousins can be together, especially during Christmas.”
Despite Kate’s royal duties, she has maintained a close bond with her family – a relationship that Prince William also shares.
This family closeness was highlighted in September when Kate released a video celebrating the end of her chemotherapy treatment. The video featured her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, playing cards with their grandchildren – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – alongside Kate and William.
Earlier this month, at Kate’s carol service at Westminster Abbey, Prince Louis paid tribute to his grandparents with a handwritten note on the Kindness Tree. The note read: “Thank you to Granny and Grandpa because they have played games with me.”
