James Middleton Describes ‘Packing Up the Car and Driving Somewhere’ for Childhood Vacations with Sisters Kate and Pippa

James Middleton sheds light on his family vacations, past and present.

In an interview with December 29 The Sunday TimesKate Middleton’s younger brother has opened up about holidays as a child with older sisters Kate and Pippa Middleton and their parents Carole and Michael.

“Holidays were usually about packing up the car and going somewhere,” James, 37, told the outlet. “My parents, sisters and I would visit different places in the Swiss Alps every summer, like Les Masses, or we would go to Avoriaz in France.”

Pippa and James Middleton, siblings of Catherine, Princess of Wales, arrive at the coronation of King Charles III. and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 in London, England.

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“Dad would find a mountain retreat where we’d have a rather sloppy soup-like meal with tea, but we were so hungry after a day of hiking that the taste was incredible,” he continued. “Then we would fall fast asleep on our bed – we would sleep on one long bed, all five of us – surrounded by other walkers. The next day we would wake up early, put our boots back on and continue our journey, ending up in another village.”

James went on to describe “clear memories of beautiful butterflies, wildflower meadows and the sound of cowbells — and those memories came alive this summer when we took Inigo to Valmoral in the French Alps to visit Alizée’s family,” referring to his wife, Alizée Thevenet, and their one-year-old son Inigo.

Alizee Middleton and James Middleton attend the switch-on of Bulgari’s iconic Serpenti Christmas lights at its flagship boutique with a star-studded party in association with Save The Children on November 12, 2021 in London, England.

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“There were the same smells, the same calls of groundhogs; it was a pinch-me moment that took me back to my childhood summers when I was hiking in the mountains with a backpack that was bigger than me,” added James. “I can’t wait for Inigo to make memories like that.”

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After the Princess of Wales, 42, announced her cancer diagnosis in March, those trips to the mountains were included in her brother’s tribute to her. On March 22, the same day that Kate announced in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer, James showed her support, writing on social media alongside a photo of the two of them in their young years carrying backpacks in front of a mountain backdrop: “Over the years we have climbed many mountains,” he wrote. “As a family, we will climb this one with you.”

“The mountains play a big role in my life,” he said The Sunday Times. “They remind us that we are vulnerable; you have to respect them.”

James also said The Sunday Times that “When we were growing up, we would also go to the Lake District, staying in rented cottages around Coniston Water and Windermere. It’s a very special place for us as a family, and the adventures we went on as kids, from rock climbing to cave exploration, were like something out of The famous five.”

Carole Middleton, Michael Middleton, James Middleton, Alizee Thevenet and Pippa Middleton attend Carol’s ‘Together At Christmas’ Mass at Westminster Abbey on December 6, 2024 in London, England.

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“Now [that] we’re adults, we always make sure we spend time as an extended family so cousins ​​can spend time together, especially around Christmas,” added James.

Kate has three children – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 – with husband Prince William; Pippa also has three children with husband James Matthews: Arthur, 6, Grace, 3, and Rose, 2. In a September interview with Hello!James said that both Kate and Pippa gave him baby clothes for Inigo, who are all hand-me-downs from their children.

“They are turning points, because [my sisters] remember when their child wore something and how old it was – it takes them back,” James said. “It’s a nice thing for them.”

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (right) and her sister Pippa Middleton talk in the royal box before the men’s singles final match between Britain’s Andy Murray and Switzerland’s Roger Federer on Center Court on day 13 of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, South West London, 8 July 2012.

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As for his family of three in 2025, “Alizée and I would love to explore Norway next year,” James said The Sunday Times. “I want to see the fjords. We also love ski touring — it’s fantastic exercise and you really feel like you deserve fondue afterwards — and it’s something we want to try in Scandinavia. Inigo is walking, so he is almost ready for skis.”

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Source: HIS Education