Since Princess Kate was first romantically linked to Prince William in the British press in 2004, she and her family have become a perpetual subject of fascination to royal fans and critics alike.
Kate was born on January 9, 1982, in the county of Berkshire in southern England, one of the few areas of Britain to be known as a “royal county” owing to Windsor Castle being located within its borders.
Kate’s parents, Michael Middleton (a former aviation manager) and Carole Goldsmith (a former air stewardess) went on to have two more children, Philippa born in 1983, and James, born in 1987.
The family moved to Jordan in 1984 where Michael had secured a new job, and they returned to settle in Berkshire in 1987, where Carole began a children’s party supply business, Party Pieces.
Left, Pippa Matthews is photographed at Windsor Castle in England in May 2018. Right, James Middleton is pictured at Westminster Abbey in May 2023. Inset, Princess Kate is photographed at Westminster Abbey in May 2023. The princess’ family became a subject of international attention when her relationship with Prince William was first made public in 2004.
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The Middleton’s lived a privileged and quiet life until Kate began studying at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland in 2001.
Soon after beginning her History of Art course, Kate became friends with her classmate, Prince William. The two began dating soon after and their relationship was revealed by the British tabloids after photos taken of the couple during a skiing vacation were acquired.
The Middleton family quickly became the target of intrusive press reporting and paparazzi shadowing. They made several formal complaints to the press commission in Britain, many regarding the harassment faced by Kate.
When William and Kate announced their engagement in 2010 and were later married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, the future queen’s family gained even wider recognition.
Her sister, Philippa (known as Pippa) caused an international sensation with her figure-hugging Alexander McQueen maid of honor dress at the wedding, while James was praised after delivering a Bible reading during the ceremony, despite being dyslexic.
Over the years, Pippa and James’ lives have been readily documented by the British press and now James is publishing a first person account of his life in the form of a new memoir.
Here, as the memoir prepares to hit shelves, Newsweek looks at everything to know about Princess Kate’s siblings.
Pippa Matthews
Philippa Charlotte Middleton was born on September 6, 1983, as the second daughter of Michael and Carole Middleton.
After leaving school, Pippa, like Kate, went to college in Scotland. She studied English literature at the University of Edinburgh and later obtained a masters degree from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in physical literacy and education.
After graduating from Edinburgh, Pippa was already a figure of press interest thanks to her older sister’s relationship with Prince William.
The sisters were regularly spotted at society and social events together in London where they shared an apartment owned by their parents in the fashionable neighborhood of Chelsea.
Pippa fulfilled a number of public relations roles at companies, including Party Pieces and in 2012 published her own party planning book titled Celebrate: A year of British festivities for families and friends.
After the royal wedding in 2011, Pippa contributed articles to a number of magazines and briefly wrote a regular column for the Daily Telegraph newspaper. She also worked with a number of charities, most notably the British Heart Foundation.
In 2016, it was announced that Pippa had become engaged to hedge-fund manager and multi-millionaire, James Matthews.
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews are photographed on their wedding day in Berkshire, England, in May 2017. Together the couple have three children.
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Matthews will one day inherit his hotelier father’s 10,000 acre estate in the Scottish highlands known as Glen Affric. He will also inherit the title of Laird of Glen Affric.
Matthews’ brother, Spencer Matthews, gained notoriety in Britain in the 2010s when he appeared as a regular cast member on the reality show Made in Chelsea.
On May 20, 2017, Pippa and James married at St. Mark’s Church on the Englefield Estate in Berkshire, in a ceremony attended by Princess Kate and Prince William. Their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte served as pageboy and bridesmaid to their aunt.
Today, the couple divide their time between London and their country home in Berkshire, a short distance from Michael and Carole Middleton’s home in the village of Bucklebury.
The Matthews have three children: Arthur, born in 2018; Grace, born 2021; and Rose, born in 2022.
James Middleton
James Middleton is the youngest of Princess Kate’s siblings, born on April 15, 1987.
He was diagnosed with dyslexia aged 11, and followed his sisters to the private senior school, Marlborough College, in England before taking up a place at the University of Edinburgh.
Middleton dropped out of university to start up as an entrepreneur in London where he founded a cake decorating business. Later he developed a postal marshmallow company called Boomf.
In 2017, Middleton’s already fragile mental health took a downward spiral and in his new memoir Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, he revealed that he came close to committing suicide before seeking the help of a therapist. He was subsequently diagnosed with clinical depression and attention deficit disorder and has become a vocal mental health advocate.
James Middleton is photographed with his wife, Alizee Thevenet, at Westminster Abbey in July 2022. The couple have one son, Inigo, born in 2023.
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After a high profile relationship with English actress Donna Air, Middleton began dating French financier Alizee Thevenet, and in 2021 the couple were married in a family ceremony in southeastern France.
They welcomed their first child, Inigo, in 2023. Today, Middleton runs a raw dogfood company, James and Ella. He is also an ambassador for the Pets As Therapy charity.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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