James Middleton reveals Christmas plans with sisters Pippa and Kate

James Middleton has shared insights into his past family Christmases and revealed how festive plans have evolved since he and his siblings, Pippa and the Princess of Wales, have become parents.

In a new column for The Sunday Times, the father of one reflected on how fatherhood has changed his travel habits. While he used to arrive at the airport “as late as possible,” since welcoming his son, Inigo, James now prefers to get there “five hours early.”

The 37-year-old author also reminisced about past family holidays with his parents and siblings, revealing how they would “pack up the car and drive somewhere.” Popular destinations included different spots in the Swiss Alps, such as Les Masses or Avoriaz in France, as well as the Lake District, where the family stayed in cottages around Coniston Water and Windermere.

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“It’s a very special place for us as a family, and the adventures we’d get up to as kids – from rock climbing on the crags to exploring the caves – were like something from The Famous Five,” he writes.

Now that James, Pippa, and Kate have families of their own, their holidays have inevitably changed. However, the youngest Middleton revealed that they “always make sure that we spend time as a wider family so that the cousins get to spend time together, especially around Christmas.”

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Despite Kate marrying into the royal family, the Princess has maintained a very close relationship with her own family – a bond that William also shares.

This closeness was evident in September when the Princess of Wales released a video marking the end of her chemotherapy treatment, in which her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, featured prominently. The couple appeared in several scenes, playing cards with their grandchildren – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – as well as with Kate and her husband, Prince William.

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Earlier this month, during Kate’s carol service at Westminster Abbey, Prince Louis paid tribute to his maternal grandparents by dedicating a handwritten note to them on the Kindness Tree. It read: “Thank you to Granny and Grandpa because they have played games with me.”