How James Middleton's 18th Birthday Gift Differed Wildly From His Sisters

Catherine, Princess of Wales has two siblings; Pippa and James Middleton, both of whom are younger than the beloved royal. Both notably caused a stir following their appearances at Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding to Prince William, with Pippa inspiring a plastic surgery trend and James getting an unexpected Hollywood offer. Kate's brother wrote about the movie offer he ultimately turned down in his memoir "Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life." In his book, James also reflected on turning 18, writing, "Throughout my teens, my two obsessions, with dogs and all things mechanical, flourish." 

The businessman noted that his father came to him prior to his 18th birthday to see what he wanted as a gift. "He gives me a choice: a little second-hand Peugeot 206 or a dilapidated and ancient tractor," James recalled. "A tractor? Yes, he knows in his heart that I'll choose the quirky option — and I do." The author shared his excitement about the present, which he gave the same name as the Middleton family dog, Tilly. James also acknowledged that it was quite different than what his sisters received since, "Catherine and Pippa were given beautiful jewelery for their 18th birthdays, but mine is a tractor." 

Despite their demonstrable differences, especially nowadays given that one of them is a literal royal, James Middleton has a good relationship with his two sisters. They've been very helpful and supportive of each other over the years, such as when he was dealing with depression and they joined him for some in-depth therapy sessions. In 2019, James spoke with the Telegraph about how each of his family members attended therapy with him at different times, acknowledging, "And that was so important because that helped them understand me and how my mind was working."

James continued, "And I think the way the therapy helped me was that I didn't need my family to say, 'What can we do?' The only thing they could do was just come to some of the therapy sessions to start to understand." Likewise, "Meet Ella" also included accounts of that. James got more in-depth on depression and suicidal thoughts in his book, and he included a story of the first therapy session that both Pippa and Kate Middleton joined him for, with James so emotional over their support that he cried. 

The author described how his psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Pereira told his sisters what James had been feeling, since they did not know everything he had been going through. And, according to James, both Pippa and the Princess of Wales paid close attention. He sweetly recalled, "Catherine has already done a lot of work with the mental health charity Heads Together, and she asks Dr. Pereira some pertinent questions. She understands so much. I'm overwhelmed. I feel such gratitude and admiration for her, for her knowledge and compassion." For more, read all about Kate's relationship with her brother.

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