Inside Kate's Relationship With Her Parents Carole And Michael Middleton

When Carole Middleton's daughter Catherine, now Princess of Wales, suddenly became very intensely famous — marrying a royal tends to do that to a person — Carole herself was suddenly thrust into the international spotlight. For a while, she kept up with all of the gossip, reading anything anyone wrote about her in an effort to manage her public image. "I thought it was better to know what people thought," she told The Telegraph in 2018. Eventually, though, she decided that keeping up with the media did her more harm than good. "But it doesn't make any difference," she added. "I'm not really sure how I'm perceived now. But the thing is ... it is really normal — most of the time."

As a result, Carole and her husband Michael Middleton have been a bit of a mystery. "Over the years, it's proved wise not to say anything," Carole told The Telegraph. Still, there have been plenty of stories in the media about Catherine's parents, even if her mother no longer reads them. Read on to learn the truth about Princess Catherine's relationship with her parents.

Unlike William, Prince of Wales, who grew up surrounded by the glitz, glamour, and grief of the royal family, Catherine, Princess of Wales, had a relatively normal upbringing. Her parents both worked for British Airways, and they worked hard to make sure their children had access to the social status that they wouldn't otherwise have been afforded. For example, Carole Middleton ensured Catherine and her sister Pippa were the picture of perfection at boarding school. 

These days, Princess Catherine credits her parents for raising her well. In 2017, she spoke on behalf of a charity called Place2Be (via The Evening Standard), stressing the importance of teaching children to be open about their mental-health struggles. Noting that her parents taught her "kindness, respect, and honesty," Catherine added, "I realise how central values like these have been to me throughout my life. That is why William and I want to teach our little children, George and Charlotte, just how important these things are as they grow up. In my view it is just as important as excelling at maths or sport."

Catherine went into further detail about her own childhood, confessing, "When I was growing up I was very lucky. My family was the most important thing to me. They provided me with somewhere safe to grow and learn, and I know I was fortunate not to have been confronted by serious adversity at a young age."

Though Carole and Michael Middleton worked at British Airways when their daughter was younger, Princess Catherine of Wales inspired them to strike out on their own and start a family business when she was just five years old. They founded Party Pieces in 1987, a business that makes party supplies like plates, hats, and more. "My children inspired my business and have been involved from the start, and the success that we've had has helped us build the life we have currently," Carole told the Daily Mail. "I feel incredibly fortunate to have found the professional fulfillment I always wanted."

Princess Catherine's mother went into more detail, explaining that her very first product was a plate for her daughter's fifth birthday. All of the options she could find on the market looked too cheap, so she decided to make her own. "I realized there was a gap in the market for party ware that wasn't too expensive and which looked good, so decided to design my own," she said. "I took some prototypes to various High Street retailers and was turned away."

At its height, the family business was worth multiple millions of pounds. Carole told the outlet that she's not interested in giving it up as she grows older and more financially secure, because she enjoys it too much. "For me, my personal and my business life are not two separate things," she said. "They are both an essential and interwoven part of who I am." Unfortunately, in 2023, the business was sold off after going into administration.

As Carole and Michael Middleton's daughter Catherine's relationship with William, Prince of Wales, grew more serious, they may have expected that the prince would speak with Catherine's father before proposing. After all, that's a widely known tradition, if a little archaic by today's standards.

That didn't wind up happening in this case, despite the royal family being the ultimate traditionalists. Instead, Prince William proposed to Catherine first, and then he asked Michael whether he gave permission. "I was torn between asking Kate's dad first, and then the realization that he might actually say no dawned upon me," William confessed to ITV. "So I thought if I asked Kate first, then he can't really say no. So I did it that way round." Thankfully, Michael was supportive. "I managed to speak to Mike sort of soon after it happened," William revealed.

For her part, Catherine was excited to tell her mother that she'd gotten engaged. She wasn't sure whether her father had spilled the beans, so at first she was nervous. "My mother didn't make it clear to me whether she knew or not, so both of us were there sort of looking at each other and feeling quite awkward about it. But it was amazing to tell her, and obviously she was very happy for us."

When the news broke in 2010 that William, Prince of Wales, had asked Catherine, Princess of Wales, to marry him, Michael and Carole Middleton held a press conference to discuss their reaction to the news. Unable to stop themselves from giggling together and smiling broadly, the future princess' parents were downright adorable as they spoke with the media about their family's exciting news.

"I'd just like to say that Carole and I are absolutely delighted by today's announcement and thrilled at the prospect of a wedding some time next year," Michael told the reporters (via Getty), adding that they were excited by the idea of having Prince William be part of their family. "As you know, Catherine and Prince William have been going out together for quite a number of years which is great for us because we have got to know William really well. We all think he is wonderful and we are extremely fond of him."

Furthermore, Michael spoke about how they viewed their daughter and the prince as a couple. "They make a lovely couple," he said. "They are great fun to be with and we have had a lot of laughs together. We wish them every happiness for the future."

After centuries of holding royal weddings, you might expect that the royal family has wedding-planning down to a science. That's likely true, but in the case of the nuptials of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the new royal invited her mother to collaborate on the planning of the grand event. After all, Carole Middleton ran Party Pieces at the time, an events-supply business, so she had a lot of input while designing her daughter's big day. Still, she declined to share exactly how much advice she gave while speaking with The Telegraph. "We talked about music ... everything," she said. "I was involved lots with both [Pippa] and Catherine's weddings. I think the most important thing, as a parent, is to listen to what your daughter wants. You can have all the ideas in the world, but it has to be about them. And don't muscle in on the guest list."

She insisted that she wasn't nervous when Princess Catherine and Prince William finally walked down the aisle together, despite the fact that the wedding was watched by many millions of people all around the world. "Like every mother, I wanted to look my best, make my children proud and enjoy the day," she said. "I honestly don't think I was any more stressed than any other mother-of-the-bride."

After Princess Catherine of Wales became a member of the royal family, her parents were thrust into the international spotlight. Carole and Michael Middleton were used to moving in upper-crust society circles at that point — their daughter went to the elite St. Andrews boarding school, after all — but being so closely associated with a royal is a whole different ball game.

As such, the Middletons had to learn on the fly. Michael seems to have caused the royal family some embarrassment when his daughter Pippa graduated from college, according to a documentary called "Chasing the Royals: The Media and the Monarchy" (via Express). Photographers showed up to catch snapshots of the famous family, and while the royal family might have turned away from such publicity, the Middletons encouraged it.

"I was the only photographer there and the father approached me and asked me for the pictures," paparazzo Niraj Tanna told the documentary. As the film's voiceover stated, "Asking a paparazzo for pictures for the family album is the last thing William would have done." After all, the Prince of Wales is well-known for his testy relationship with the paparazzi, given what happened to his mother Princess Diana. William even once lost his temper on a photographer in public, suggesting that Michael's embrace of the media might've ruffled some feathers.

When their daughter Princess Catherine of Wales joined the royal family, Carole and Michael Middleton were understandably concerned that they might lose touch with her. After all, the royal family is famously insular, keeping out outsiders and maintaining a strict circle of secrecy as best they can. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to have happened. Carole told The Telegraph, "My biggest fear was that I'd lose my family, but we've stayed close."

They're so close, in fact, that Carole and Michael often help out with their grandkids. One such grandchild — Prince George — will one day be the King of England, barring an unforeseen tragedy, but you wouldn't know it from how hands-on his grandparents are. In a 2021 interview with Good Housekeeping, Carole explained that she tries to do as much as she can with the grandkids while she still has time. "I want to run down the hills, climb the trees and go through the tunnel at the playground. As long as I am able to, that's what I'll be doing," she said. "I cook with them, I muck around dancing, we go on bike rides."

Being the father of a royal has its perks, as Michael Middleton learned when he attended the Wimbledon tennis tournament multiple times with Princess Catherine of Wales. As a royal, she is often given the opportunity to meet many high-profile figures, including the players who compete at one of the sport's most prestigious events. While Catherine is likely briefed on who those famous figures are, Michael likely got no such training, leading to one incident that left the princess quite embarrassed.

She told the story in a BBC documentary called "Our Wimbledon" (via The Mirror), explaining that they were in a VIP area when they crossed paths with some famous tennis players. "My father is not going to appreciate this, but we were walking past Tim Henman and we had just seen [Pete] Sampras play," Catherine revealed. "My dad said very coolly: 'Hi Pete.' I was mortified!"

It's likely there were no hard feelings after the simple mistake. After all, Catherine got her love of the sport from her father. Royal expert Ingrid Seward told The Mirror that tennis was a family affair. " ... her father taught her to play tennis to a high standard," she said. "All these skills came because her ambitious mother encouraged her to learn them. There's nothing she can't turn her hand to."

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, rocked the royal family (and gossip circles around the world) when he released "Spare," a memoir of his time growing up in the United Kingdom, losing his mother, marrying an American, and experiencing the insular racism associated with the palace. Harry held nothing back, leading to quite the rift with William, Prince of Wales; reportedly, Princess Catherine of Wales wanted them to reconcile, but she has since given up. 

Prince Harry's shocking memoir led to hurt feelings all over the United Kingdom, and it seems that Michael and Carole Middleton were upset on their daughter's behalf. Carole's brother Gary Goldsmith told the Daily Mail that they were devastated by the fact that Harry chose to talk about their daughter, and they were upset by how upset their daughter was as a result. 

" ... I'm particularly appalled by his vile confection of half-truths and complete fabrications because Kate is my adored niece," Goldsmith wrote. "Carole will be incredibly hurt and angry about the slights and calumnies heaped on William and Kate this week, but you won't hear a peep from her." He pointed out that the Middletons are in an unusual position as the parents of a future queen, but he insisted that they were just the people to handle the pressure. " ... Carole and her husband, Mike, know instinctively what to do," he said. "'Say nothing' is their mantra and they have always maintained their quiet dignity."

In recent years, the royal family has been rocked by scandal after scandal, from Prince Andrew's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's controversial decision to leave their royal duties behind for life in America. Queen Elizabeth II died, King Charles III and Princess Catherine of Wales both developed cancer, and Prince Harry wrote a memoir alleging racism among the royal family's ranks.

In 2023, Carole Middleton's brother Gary Goldsmith wrote a memoir, too. Fearing that Catherine's uncle's revelations might damage whatever uneasy peace the royals had developed in the wake of Prince Harry's "Spare," Catherine's mother moved quickly to protect her daughter from any further embarrassment. According to an insider who spoke with OK! Magazine UK, she sent her brother a warning. "Carole has made it very clear that there should be no private family business written about," the insider said. "Kate is afraid that it could provoke Harry into writing another book."

According to the insider, Goldsmith does indeed have access to damaging information about the royal family. "There are disclosures they would never forgive him for if they were ever to be made public," the insider said. "William and Kate are trying to avoid that at all costs." As of press time, it seems that Carole Middleton's warning worked; Goldsmith's book has not yet found a publisher. 

Fans of "The Crown" may have noticed that on the hit Netflix show, Princess Catherine of Wales (as played by Meg Bellamy) and Carole Middleton (portrayed by Eve Best) sometimes swap outfits. "We tried to do a mature version of Kate. In their first scenes, some of the clothes for Kate and Carole are interchangeable," costume designer Sid Roberts told The Telegraph. "It's the same low-slung jeans, Sloaney jumpers and pointy boots with a stiletto heel. Carole's belts aren't quite as wide as Kate's."

While "The Crown" is, of course, fictionalized, the real-life mother and daughter duo have indeed worn the same outfits in the past. It's unclear whether they've been sharing the same exact item of clothing or whether they've each bought a copy, but in 2021, Princess Catherine wore a pink ME+EM silk shirt dress. The following year, her mother wore the same look to the Royal Ascot, showing that the pair influence each other's style.

In a 2018 interview with The Telegraph, the journalist noted that Carole's image seemed carefully managed. "If I come across as normal, that would be great, because that's what I am," Carole admitted. When the writer pointed out that one of her outfits seemed similar to something her daughter's worn in the past, Middleton added, "Not the identical one."

In March 2024, after months of speculation, Princess Catherine of Wales announced a cancer diagnosis to the world. "William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family," she said in an official Instagram post. By way of explaining all the secrecy surrounding her health, Catherine added, "It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that's appropriate for them and to reassure them that I'm going to be okay."

Thankfully, Catherine has a loving support system around her as she recovers, including not just the royal family but her own parents, too. According to insiders who spoke with Us Weekly, Carole Middleton has been by her daughter's side as she goes through treatment. "Her mom has been staying with her to help her recuperate," the insider said. 

In September 2024, the princess released a video on Instagram sharing that she had finished chemotherapy. Carole and Michael Middleton can be seen hanging out with the royal family, smiling as the family plays a game together. "The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family," the princess wrote in the caption. "Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown. The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you."