Kate Middleton has found herself a source of support amid her cancer fight – and it’s not Prince William. Kate, who revealed her cancer battle last month, has a “strong shoulder to cry on” and relies on him “in times of strife,” it has been claimed.

The Princess of Wales, 42, is said to rely heavily on brother James Middleton. James has been vocal about how Kate and Pippa supported him during his battle with depression and the trio remain close despite Kate becoming a part of the Royal Family.

In an Instagram post, he gushed: “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.” Royal biographer Claudia Josephs told Fabulous: “The Middleton family has always been an extremely close-knit clan and they always turn to each other for support both in times of celebration and in strife.

“They had an idyllic childhood, playing sport together, baking cakes and sliding down the stairs on a tray. And, since the Wales’s moved to Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor Home Park, they have become even closer.” She continued: “Certainly, it was to the sanctuary of their childhood home that Kate fled when she broke up with William in 2007.

“Both her siblings were at home that weekend – it was James’s 20th birthday on the Sunday – and the family rallied around. James then drove Kate back to London to pick up a tennis racquet from her flat and paperwork from her office before she retreated to her parents’ home.”

The royal biographer shared: “I think the best example of their relationship was during the Royal wedding. While Pippa was a bridesmaid, James, who is dyslexic, gave a reading to a global audience of two billion. He was so determined to do her proud that he retyped it phonetically in order to learn it.

“’At the end of the day, whether it was a little church or Westminster Abbey didn’t matter,’ he said at the time. ‘It was me, as a brother, doing a reading for my sister and her husband at their wedding and I wanted to do it right.’”