At the summit of Ben Nevis, the princess met Ted Haslam, an 11-year-old boy who uses a wheelchair and was tackling the challenge alongside family and friends. Kate stopped to talk with him, showing great interest in his experience and chatting, in a lighthearted and affectionate tone, about the harsh weather conditions (“Aren’t you cold?”) and the difficulties of the route the group was tackling. Impressed by his courage and determination, the Princess of Wales subsequently made a donation to the fundraiser the young boy had launched on JustGiving.
The princess described the Royal Marsden as “a place that holds great personal significance,” highlighting its clinical excellence and tangible impact on the lives of thousands of patients. The Royal Family’s official accounts also shared the king and queen’s congratulations on the future queen’s completion of the climb.
James Middleton, the Princess of Wales’s younger brother, also wanted to publicly share a message of deep affection and pride for his sister. In his Instagram post, he recalled a promise he made to his “darling sister” two years earlier. “Two years ago, I told you we’d climb this mountain together. We talked about climbing mountains while you were in hospital, and about the incredible healing power that nature can have for both the body and the mind.”
In his message, her brother called participating in the challenge “an honor,” highlighting the princess’s strength and determination and her role within the family: “Seeing how far you’ve come is nothing short of inspiring. Your strength, resilience, and determination, all while being the most amazing mother, wife, daughter, and sister, inspire me and so many others every single day,” James wrote. “Keep being exactly who you are,”
In several videos posted in recent months, the Princess of Wales had spoken about her relationship with her illness while surrounded by natural landscapes—including forests, beaches, and wheat fields. “Over the past year, nature has been our refuge,” Kate had said in a clip filmed in Norfolk and released to mark the announcement that her preventive chemotherapy had ended.
The reference to the connection between nature and well-being is part of a personal journey that has also been widely shared by James Middleton, who has battled severe depression in the past. In his book, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, and in various interviews, he has spoken openly about his long journey of treatment and recovery. James also described the crucial role played by his dog Ella, who died a few years ago, calling her an essential presence in his healing process: “It was a time when I couldn’t connect with others, I couldn’t express myself, and somehow I think Ella understood how I was feeling.”
The dog, he explained, encouraged him to go out and reconnect with the world when everything seemed most difficult. It was Ella who actually allowed him to meet his future wife, Alizée Thevenet, by approaching her in a pub and wagging her tail. Today, James Middleton owns a pet food company. He and Thevenet are parents to 2-year-old Inigo.
