James Middleton guided his sister Catherine down from the summit of Mount Snowdon last weekend, as captured in a video shared on Instagram by Phillip Tebajjwa.
The footage showed the Princess of Wales holding her younger brother’s hand during the final hurdle, beaming before raising her hand to cover her mouth upon realising she was being filmed.
One of Mr Middleton’s dogs accompanied the pair during the descent.
Mr Tebajjwa, described on his Instagram profile as a philanthropist and mentor, wrote: “MOUNT SNOWDON SUMMIT. There I was, congratulating fellow climbers as they made their way down from the windy summit … little did I know I was actually speaking to royalty.”
James Middleton takes the Princess of Wales’s hand during her Mount Snowdon descent
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INSTAGRAM/@TEBAJJWA
He added: “The Princess of Wales has just stopped to congratulate me on completing the challenge… and then agreed to take a selfie. At that moment, I could only think one thing… Am I actually dreaming?”
Following the official announcement of Catherine’s Three Peaks Challenge completion on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s social media account, her brother left a comment of particular significance.
Mr Middleton posted a mountain emoji paired with a red heart – the very same symbols he had used over two years prior when his sister first disclosed her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.
The understated response signalled that the father-of-one had kept his pledge to support Catherine throughout her health journey.
The Princess of Wales took a selfie with Phillip Tebajjwa
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INSTAGRAM/@TEBAJJWA
His original message appeared on Instagram on March 22, 2024, shortly after the princess revealed her diagnosis publicly.
The post featured a photograph of the siblings from their childhood years, accompanied by a heartfelt caption: “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.”
Those mountain and heart emojis that concluded his words would resurface in his reaction to Catherine’s triumphant physical achievement, turning what had begun as a metaphor for confronting hardship into a celebration of actual summits conquered.
Mr Middleton was there in person as his sister made her way down from Snowdon, the concluding peak of her extraordinary undertaking.
James Middleton commented with a mountain emoji and a red emoji under his sister’s Instagram post | INSTAGRAM/@JMIDY
The 44-year-old princess was greeted by her nearest and dearest at the Welsh finish line.
Her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, had made the journey to be present for the occasion, alongside the Prince of Wales and the couple’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The gathering represented an emotional finale to Catherine’s solo endeavour, with her closest family assembled to mark the future queen’s accomplishment.
The princess completed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours, covering 23 miles on foot with more than 10,000 feet of climbing, whilst travelling 462 miles by road between the peaks.