Kate Middleton’s brother, James, has recently announced his engagement to French financial analyst Alizee Thevenet.

Kate’s family is significantly less embarrassing than Meghan’s, so their news is usually met with more enthusiasm than the stories that Tom Markle frequently tells the tabloids.

James has also spoken out about his battle with depression, and the role that his family has played in helping him cope with it.

According to PEOPLE, James is thankful for their support.

“I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t read a book, I couldn’t watch a film, I couldn’t eat,” he recalled, noting that he also found it difficult to talk to his family.

“The fact is, no matter what experience someone has, your family members are the hardest people [to talk to]… You also have a very different way of interacting with your family than you do with your friends.” he said. “I’m the youngest child, so I think that’s normal. And they are so tuned into you that they can see what other people can’t.”

After visiting a private psychiatric hospital for a consultation, James spent almost a year in cognitive behavioural therapy. He also attended therapy sessions with his family, including Kate.

“That was so important because that helped them understand me and how my mind was working. 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,” he explained.

While James acknowledges that he hasn’t completely overcome his struggle with depression, he’s pleased with his progress and also credits his dogs with helping him through it.

“I recognize, too, the role my dogs — Ella, Inca, Luna, Zulu and Mabel — have played in my recovery,” he wrote.

“Ella, particularly, has been my constant companion for ten years and she’s been with me to all my therapy sessions. In her own particular way, she has kept me going,” he continued. “As a result, Ella and I now volunteer with the Pets As Therapy charity and Ella is a fully-fledged therapy dog for PAT.”

He decided to speak out about his experiences following the example of those royals who have dedicated their time to combatting the stigma surrounding mental illness.

James felt compelled to follow the lead of his sister Kate, brother-in-law Prince William and Prince Harry, who have been strong advocates for mental health.

“They believe we can only tackle the stigma associated with mental illness if we have the courage to change the national conversation, to expel its negative associations.”

On that note, I’ll leave you with this video of Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran talking about that very topic, in a very funny way…

Gingers unite!

[source:people]