Tragic Details About Kate Middleton's Parents
At first glance, it might seem that Princess Catherine's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, are living in a modern-day fairy tale. The couple started out their married life as two typical middle-class Brits who never could have imagined their eldest daughter would one day become the next Queen of England.
Originally a flight attendant and a flight dispatcher, Carole and Michael did not always earn a lot of money. However, when they launched their company, Party Pieces, their lives changed forever. For decades, Party Pieces generated a strong flood of revenue for the Middleton family. These days, Carole and Michael drive a Range Rover, flounce designer clothes, and even attend big-name events like Wimbledon and the Royal Ascot.
Of course, nobody's life is perfect — and that applies to the Middletons, as well. Over the years, the couple has struggled enormously with family tragedies that range from phone hacking to poor representation in the media. Carole and Michael Middleton were even victims of a smear campaign. Beneath the veneer of their picture-perfect life, the Middletons have endured one tragedy after another.
The Middleton family inheritance has tragic roots
In the tabloid news, Carole and Michael Middleton are often portrayed as a typical middle-class couple. But, the reality is that Princess Catherine lived a lavish life before marrying Prince William. Her parents sent her to pricey boarding schools and housed her in a £1.5 million home. Carole and Michael could afford a somewhat opulent lifestyle after launching their successful party decoration business in 1987, but they also sat on a comfortable family inheritance.
However, this financial inheritance had a dark side. According to a report in the Scottish Mail on Sunday, the Middletons were able to found their company and fund their children's education because of a trust fund that had been set up generations before. Apparently, Catherine's great-great grandfather, Francis Lupton, came into a million pound fortune that he expected to split among his five children. However, during World War I, all three of Frank's sons were killed. Only his two daughters, Olive and Anne Lupton, survived to inherit the money. Their share was worth over £2 million in today's currency.
As per the Scottish Mail on Sunday, Anne Lupton never married, meaning that what was left of her fortune was also passed on to Olive's children — including Catherine's grandfather. Although this money was eventually able to benefit the Middleton children, its roots are profoundly tragic.
Carole and Michael Middleton were mocked by Prince William's friends
In many ways, Carole and Michael Middleton benefited from an "old money" fortune; however, this did not prevent Prince William's friends from mocking them for their social class. Unlike many members of the British upper crust, Carole and Michael had neither titles nor a historic family home. In fact, Carole Middleton was famously descended from James Harrison, a coal miner based in Northern England. According to The Standard, his "home was to be a humble two-up, two-down miner's cottage on the main village street." It was a far cry from the vast estates inhabited by the ancestors of William's closest friends.
Because of this, when the prince started dating the future Princess Catherine, his circle was quite ruthless in their treatment of his middle-class girlfriend. Many of his friends were particularly snobbish about the fact that Catherine's mother had previously worked as a flight attendant. As royal expert, Katie Nicholl, explained on Vanity Fair's "Dynasty" podcast, "William's friends, I hate to say it, would whisper rather snidely when Kate would turn up at Boujis, which is the nightclub that they used to go to in West London: 'Doors to manual.'" Nicholl went on to explain, "Obviously, that is a bit of a put-down. It's a bit of a derogatory reference to Carol's career as an air hostess" (via Express).
The press criticized the Middletons for being middle class
Prince William's posh friends were not the only people who disparaged the Middletons for their middle-class background. The British press was arguably no better. During William and Princess Catherine's courtship, many commentators argued that Carole and Michael Middleton were not classy enough to be the parents of the next Queen of England.
One piece in the Daily Mail even quoted a courtier, who said, "Put bluntly, the Queen seems to like Kate's father, Michael, but the courtiers sense that there are big question marks over the mother. She is pushy, rather twee, and incredibly middle-class. She uses words such as 'pleased to meet you,' 'toilet,' and 'pardon.' The irony is that Carole has been so busy pushing her daughter forward and doing her best to groom her for royalty that she's rather missed the point that she might not fit in herself."
Following William and Catherine's breakup in 2007, royal commentator, James Whitaker, described the match as a mistake in an article for the Mirror. His justification? Carole and Michael were not from a good enough family to produce a future queen. "Kate, delightful as she might be, was not from suitable stock to be our future Queen," Whitaker wrote. "I just believe that evolving from a middle class background (Marlborough public school, her father Michael running a party mail order business while mummy Carole worked as an airline "hostie") is hardly the best training to becoming Her Majesty."
The Crown portrayed Carole Middleton as a social climber
As if all the bad press was not humiliating enough, the Middletons were portrayed quite negatively on Netflix's "The Crown." The series, which aimed to provide a fictitious interpretation of real-life events, dedicated much of its sixth season to Prince William and Princess Catherine's relationship. Carole Middleton's character made several appearances, as interpreted by Eve Best. Unfortunately, her portrayal was not particularly positive.
Throughout Season 6, Carole Middleton's character seemed very invested in climbing the social ladder. In one scene, she was depicted telling a young Catherine, "When I first met your father, he was way out of my reach. You know, I was just a lowly stewardess. Trolley dolly. While his grandmother had been friendly with the queen's aunt. His father was an RAF pilot who had flown with Prince Philip. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world."
Unfortunately, this idea of Carole as a pushy status-obsessed mother is not necessarily faithful to reality. "The Crown," after all, is fiction — even if some people believe everything they see on the show. "The worry for me is that people see a program like that and they forget that it is fiction," Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, explained on "Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh" in 2020. "They assume, especially foreigners, I find Americans tell me they have watched 'The Crown' as if they have taken a history lesson. Well, they haven't" (via Today).
A tabloid hacked Carole Middleton's personal telephone
"The Crown" was not the only branch of the entertainment industry that invaded Carole Middleton's privacy over the years. The mother of three has also suffered considerably at the hands of the tabloid media. She has been stalked by the paparazzi, mocked by tabloid journalists, and even hacked by a major media organization.
In 2014, the Daily Mail reported that News of the World had hacked Carole's phone as part of a massive scheme to gain insight into the lives of British royals. Carole, of course, was far from the only victim of this strategy. As per the BBC, tabloid journalists hacked Princess Catherine's phone 155 times, while Prince William was hacked 35 times.
Although it's unclear whether any of the contents of Carole's phone were used to inform News of the World articles, the hacking scandal led to the outing of quite a bit of sensitive information. The outlet even used illegal hacking to discover William's private nickname for Catherine — "babykins." All in all, this was a huge invasion of privacy and may have even traumatized the Middletons.
Carole and Michael Middleton missed many family Christmases
Carole and Michael Middleton have always been huge fans of the Christmas holiday. As the former owners of a party business, they reveled in decorating their home. Some years, they've even been known to purchase multiple Christmas trees. Writing on her Party Pieces Instagram in 2021, Carole shared, "Once again this year we plan to have two Christmas trees: one for the children to decorate and one which I do myself. My beloved tree-top angel is looking a little worse for wear after years of service so it's time to invest in something new" (via Now to Love).
Despite the Middletons' enthusiasm for the holiday season, they have not always been invited to spend Christmas with their grandchildren. As mandated by royal protocol, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have historically spent Christmas at Sandringham with their late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, Carole and Michael were rarely included in the festivities at Sandringham — although they have been invited to join the royals at St. Mary Magdalene Church for Christmas morning service. This goes to show just how much the Middletons have had to sacrifice in order to see their daughter take the crown.
The Middletons watched their son struggle with mental illness
When it comes to the Middleton children, only the two eldest have achieved a considerable amount of fame. Princess Catherine, of course, is the Princess of Wales, and her younger sister, Pippa Middleton, was once ranked Britain's most desirable single by Tatler's Little Black Book. The third Middleton child, James Middleton, has largely avoided the limelight and has struggled considerably over the years.
Writing for the Daily Mail in 2019, James described his battle with depression. "I know I'm richly blessed and live a privileged life. But it did not make me immune to depression. ... It is an illness, a cancer of the mind," the royal in-law wrote. For Carole and Michael Middleton, it would have been difficult to watch their son endure this mental illness. During the height of his struggles, James admitted, he ignored his parents' messages of love and support. "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," James revealed.
Luckily, Carole and Michael's youngest child was eventually able to seek psychological support. "I knew if I accepted help there would be hope. It was a tiny spark of light in the darkness," James explained. However, this was not an easy experience for the Middletons, who are understood to be a close-knit family.
The Middletons have experienced massive debt
Although Party Pieces was a successful business for years, things eventually began to go downhill. According to some reports, Carole and Michael Middleton's company began operating at a loss, accruing hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt.
As reported by The Standard, the trouble started back in 2019 when Carole decided to take a step back from her company's day-to-day operations. She reportedly placed control of the business into the hands of a management team that did not necessarily act responsibly. Before long, Party Pieces began to accrue debt, and as the pandemic set in, the enterprise accepted a £219,000 COVID-19 loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). This, in turn, caused a royal scandal, as the money from RBS was funded by British taxpayers.
One source close to the situation told The Standard, "It definitely doesn't reflect well on the royals, but Kate will mostly just be worried about her mother, as the two have always been incredibly close." They also added, "Carole will be working hard to put this right."
Princess Catherine's parents were forced to sell their company
Despite the Middletons' efforts to rectify the situation with their failing company, Party Pieces officially went out of business during the summer of 2023. According to a report in the Daily Mail, by the time the company had officially failed, its debts totaled £2.6 million. For Carole Middleton, in particular, this was devastating. A friend of hers told the outlet, "Carole is understandably upset and deeply disappointed in this situation."
Although Carole largely blamed outside managers for the failure of her company, she had to admit that it was her responsibility for having hired them in the first place. As the same friend told the Daily Mail, "Carole believes in accountability and accepts she had been a little naïve to step back and trust someone else to run the business she had spent decades nurturing and it's been desperately sad to see the company sold off in this way."
In the end, Carole and Michael Middleton were forced to sell their business. After searching for the right buyer, Carole decided to sign a deal with the Teddy Tastic Bear Company, which is owned by entrepreneur James Sinclair. Moreover, it was reported that the 12 employees who worked for Party Pieces were able to remain in their current positions. Carole and Michael, however, will be out of the business for good.
The Middletons have had to deal with their daughter's cancer diagnosis
Less than a year after being forced to sell their company, Carole and Michael Middleton received the news no parent wants to hear — their eldest daughter, Princess Catherine, had been diagnosed with cancer. According to royal expert, Jennie Bond, this diagnosis likely proved quite painful for the Middleton family. Speaking to the Mirror, Bond explained, "We should also spare a thought for another mother in this — Carole Middleton. Catherine may be 42, but she is still Carole's little girl, and to watch her go through this and withstand the bullying pressure to explain must have been desperately upsetting."
In the weeks following Catherine's diagnosis, Carole appeared to take on a greater role in her daughter's life, driving her around London and helping her take care of the kids. She's even made an effort to spend time with Prince William after he and Carole were spotted having a drink together in a pub. One palace insider even told People, "Her parents are an enduring factor in the upbringing of their grandchildren. And they will be a reassuring presence when she goes back to Windsor to recuperate."