Publications
The duchess' mom, Carole Middleton, turned 67 this week and to mark the occasion she shared a sweet throwback photo from the '80s of her with all three of her kids.
The black-and-white snapshot shows the Middleton matriarch beaming while surrounded by her kids in party hats and playing with blowers. Kate (now 40) appears on the far right with her younger siblings, Pippa (38) and James (34), on either side of their mother.
“Happiest of birthdays to the party planner extraordinaire! We hope you have the most magical day,” read the post, which was published on the Instagram page of Carole's online party business.
Carole has previously said her eldest daughter inspired her business, Party Pieces. When Kate was five, her mom struggled to find party goodies for her and so the idea was born to start her own business.
“All I could find were basic clown plates,” she told the UK’s Daily Mail. "I realised there was a gap in the market for partyware that wasn’t too expensive and which looked good, so I decided to design my own.”
Three decades later, her home-based Berkshire business is still doing a roaring trade and Carole, who's been married to Michael Middleton for 41 years, shows no sign of slowing down.
Yet the doting grandmother always makes time for her grandkids – Kate and Prince William’s three children and Pippa’s two.
The Cambridges continue to rely on her heavily as they navigate their roles as England’s future king and queen.
After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal fold in 2019, Wills and Kate increasingly looked to the businesswoman for support, says royal author Phil Dampier.
“Carole will be a stabilising and supportive force in the background, looking after her grandchildren when needs be, but also just being there for them [Kate and William],” he told The Sun.
He went on to call her a power behind the throne and said her influence on the duke and duchess was “immense”.
The former BA air hostess has reportedly become like a “second mom” to William, providing “a middle-class, down-to-earth haven for him and helping to keep him grounded”.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward adds that Kate shares a lot of her mother’s skills and ways.
“Kate is a product of her mother – she was brought up to do everything to perfection.”
Sources: Instagram, people.com, express.co.uk
