James Middleton opens up about the 'angst of loneliness' in emotional social media post

The Duchess of Cambridge's brother James Middleton has opened up about his experiences with depression in a heartfelt new Instagram post.

The 31-year-old business owner posted an adorable photo of himself and one of his dogs, posing on some snowy mountains.

In the caption, James spoke about his battle with lonelieness, before sweetly revealing who helped him through the tough patch.

He wrote, 'I've been in that angst of loneliness, where you're really alone in the universe. Luckily for me I had my dogs 🐾🐾'. It's thought that James Middleton has around five dogs of his own, Ella, Zulu, Luna, Inka and Mabel.

After sharing the personal post, James received thousands of positive comments in response, with fans thanking him for speaking out, and many sharing that their pet pooches also help when times get tricky.

One said, 'You are not alone. Thank you for speaking out about this. ❤️'

As another follower commented, "They are the best. They seem to know when ur feeling this way and want to help you out of it. X".

A third fan also wrote, 'Absolutely agree James. Wishing you well on you journey. I love people who love animals.', while a fouth said, 'Sending you warm thoughts! Dogs are the best for sure, there's no friends like them.'

It's not the first time Kate and Pippa Middleton's brother has opened up about his battles with mental health.

In a rare interview earlier this year, James spoke out for the first time about his depression, revealing that at his worst, he struggled to even speak up to his closest friends and family.

He said, "I couldn’t communicate, even with those I loved best: my family and close friends. Their anxious texts grew more insistent by the day, yet they went unanswered as I sank progressively deeper into a morass of despair.

"All colour and emotion had leached out of my world and everything was grey and monotone.

"I know I’m richly blessed and live a privileged life. But it did not make me immune to depression."