Tragic Things About Carole Middleton's Life
It may seem like Carole Middleton — the mother of Catherine, Princess of Wales — lives a charmed life as the mother of a royal. How could her life not be glamorous, after all? Her oldest child, Kate Middleton, married William, Prince of Wales in 2011 and officially became the Duchess of Cambridge. Even before then, the Middleton family had connections to the royal family, including Carole's distant relation to Queen Elizabeth II's mother.
Despite the assumptions of what a life tangentially connected to the royals would be like, any life in the public eye is sometimes difficult to contend with. Carole's experience is no different. Carole has dealt with struggles related to her profession and her personal life. She's also had to deal with things people have said about her. Many of her hardships are also tragedies she and her husband Michael Middleton have faced together, and they often seem like a united front. But she has still had her own burdens to bear, solo.
A newspaper violated Carole's privacy
During her first-ever interview with The Telegraph in 2018, it was brought up how Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton keep many details about their lives to themselves. "Over the years, it's proved wise not to say anything," Carole told the outlet. Unfortunately, a few years before then, her privacy had been violated as part of a hack.
The hack was carried out by reporters and editors at the News of the World newspaper and affected members of the royal family and people in their inner circles, such as loved ones and aides. The newspaper got a hold of their voicemails.
While on trial in 2014, it was revealed former royal editor for News of the World, Clive Goodman, hacked Catherine, Princess of Wales' voicemail for the first time in 2005 and had done it 155 times since then. Later in the case, it was revealed that Carole had also been hacked (via Daily Mail). It's unclear how many times her phone was accessed.
Carole's brother slammed 'The Crown' for how it made her look
Netflix's "The Crown" spurred fans to give Carole Middleton a new nickname: "The British Kris Jenner." It's rumored that Carole helped get Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales together. She earned the moniker after the fictionalized version of herself schemed to do so, ignoring what the fictionalized version of Kate Middleton wanted. In an appearance on "The Crown: Fact or Fiction" podcast from Daily Mail, Carole's brother Gary Goldsmith didn't hold back on his feelings. He admitted to liking the first season, but over time it started feeling disingenuous and he didn't want to keep watching.
"I think from people around the world watching it, they're seeing this, and they're believing the truth, and we're thinking, 'Am I watching "The Crown" or is it "Coronation Street"?' I think it's just made up," Goldsmith said. He believed Carole and the rest of the Middletons probably weren't watching the show and wondered why Carole hadn't tried to sue over her portrayal. Goldsmith continued, "Carole isn't that manipulative, evil person, sat in a dungeon, coming up by ways by which she can actually force her way into the royal family. She's strong-willed, she's got opinions, that's why we've got the kids and family we've got today."
Carole hasn't shared her own feelings on "The Crown," but it's likely not fun being made into a character that doesn't act favorably.
Carole had to sell her business
The Middleton family made their fortune in a few different ways. In addition to inherited money from Michael Middleton's side of the family, Carole Middleton's Party Pieces business contributed a lot to their wealth. After only finding clown-themed party supplies for a young Catherine, Princess of Wales, Carole created the company to make and sell her own celebration regalia. The business was successful for a while and a real family affair, since Michael, Kate Middleton, Pippa Middleton, and James Middleton all pitched in.
Carole eventually went more hands-off with the company, but more than three years afterward, Party Pieces had to be sold. COVID-19 caused trouble for Party Pieces, and they fell into £2.6 million of debt. In 2023, it was acquired by James Sinclair of Teddy Tastic Bear Company Limited.
An insider told Richard Eden at the Daily Mail how Carole was unhappy about it: "Carole is understandably upset and deeply disappointed in this situation. ... 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." When Sinclair purchased the company, he didn't have to pay out its debts, which caused more strife for Carole and Michael.
People weren't happy when Carole's business couldn't pay them back
During the Party Pieces debt fiasco, Carole and Michael Middleton made people and small businesses upset, because the company Carole founded didn't have money to pay them back. One such person was Mohamad Pardis of Sultani Gas, the company that provided helium for Party Pieces' balloons. According to The Evening Standard, Pardis was owed over £20,000, the same as one year's profits. "I thought I was in safe hands and that I could trust the royal family," Pardis reportedly said. "I'm completely shocked."
The landlord for the Party Pieces office, Lord Iliffe, was owed over £57,000. His spokesperson James Hole told the Daily Mail, "They have been long-term tenants. We were astonished about the amount of money owed to others." It may be that no one will have to pay those debts back since Party Pieces went into administration. However, Interpath Advisory, the company in charge of Party Pieces' administration while the sale was getting sorted out, determined that Party Pieces also didn't have enough money to pay their own fee of £268,928, per The Times.
Carole and Michael may need to pay that fee back. However, Interpath Advisory wrote in one of their reports that they aren't expecting to receive their full rate (via The Cut).
While Carole has debt issues, Kate has health issues
One of the biggest difficulties Carole Middleton and the rest of the family have faced is Catherine, Princess of Wales' health. In January 2024, Kate Middleton had abdominal surgery. Afterward, her continued absence from the public eye caused concern. That concern morphed into wild conspiracy theories about Kate's whereabouts. Even when a photo of Kate and Carole in a car together was shared online, the picture was considered seriously suspect.
Perhaps tired of the speculation, the princess took to Instagram in March 2024 to announce her abdominal surgery had led to a discovery of cancer, and she'd begun preventative treatment. Carole has reportedly been supporting Kate during this time, and she's apparently also trying not to let the debt she and Michael Middleton face affect Kate.
An insider told Us Weekly, "Carole is desperately trying to keep Catherine fully focused on her recovery. It's a very worrying time for the family but they are not looking for any assistance from their children and don't want them to worry." Royal journalist Afua Hagan said something similar, telling the outlet, "Carole will be doing all she can right now to stop her daughter from stressing as she undergoes chemotherapy. It's a stressful time at the moment and she will be pulling out all the stops to shield her daughter from this." Hagan added that Carole's main focus is Kate's health.