From working weekends and working class living to living off party favors and halloween decorations
– Kate Middleton’s mother isn’t the royal family member you think she is.
Carole Middleton had a vastly different childhood than the lavish lives of her grandchildren.
According to The Telegraph, she grew up in a council house, a home built for the working
class, and worked weekends as a teenager.
Sean Smith's 2011 biography of Catherine, Princess of Wales, titled, "Kate: A Biography
of Kate Middleton," he reveals Carole wanted more for herself than her hometown could offer.
After leaving school, Carole went to work at British Overseas Airway Corporation as
an air hostess.
According to Sean Smith's 2011 biography, Carole's place of work turned out to be the
very place she met her future husband, Michael Middleton.
In 1987, Carole founded a party supply company called Party Pieces which she started off
small, by making party favors in her kitchen.
According to Smith’s biography about Kate Middleton, Carole said:
Party Pieces was just getting off the ground when Carole had her third child.
Suddenly, she had to balance managing her business while raising three young children.
However, Carole learned to draw on her resources as a mom to help her business.
According to The Telegraph, Carole put up fliers at Princess Catherine's daycare and
got help promoting her party supply business from other local moms.
After purchasing ads in children’s magazines, Party Pieces became so successful that it
quickly became Carole's full-time job.
Take that, 'Shark Tank'!
"So in your example, I drive by, I want it now.
Right now."
"Yep."
"Right now.
Who do I call?"
Sorry sharks, this business isn’t for you to buy.
Per The Telegraph, the figures of Party Pieces are not public information.
However, Marie Claire notes that Carole and Michael have an estimated net worth of $30-$50
million — a fortune built almost entirely off of Carole's business idea.
Carole Middleton raised her kids to follow in her business-savvy footsteps.
Speaking with The Telegraph in November 2018, Carole revealed,
However, it seems they were also a part of it.
According to The Telegraph, each of Carole's children participated in the business in some way.
Catherine, Pippa, and James all modeled for the party supply company; and, as adults,
they each contributed in more substantial ways.
As Carole told The Telegraph:
Although Caroline’s family lacked the money to send her to college, this experience was
not remotely close to what Carole's children — Catherine, Pippa, and James — would have.
Carole and Michael Middleton sent Catherine to Pangbourne's St. Andrew's School at £4,000
per term — which is no small sum, even today.
Of St. Andrew's, a former classmate of Catherine's told biographer Sean Smith:
Considering her experience as a child, one can understand why Carole wanted to give her
children the best education available.
Carole Middleton and the rest of the Middleton family revealed their colorful coat of arms
in April 2011.
It's certainly an elegant-looking image to represent the family — and it even features
a subtle, special nod to Carole.
Per The Guardian, the gold chevron featured on the coat of arms is a reference to Carole's
family name: Goldsmith.
The emblem's designer told The Guardian:
Even though she is the mother of the future queen, as well as the grandmother of the future
king, Carole doesn't have an official title.
However, Carole still offers loads of support for Catherine, Princess of Wales, whenever
she can.
On a professional level, this means her business, Party Pieces publicly supported Catherine's
Early Years initiative.
On a personal level, Carole revealed to The Telegraph that she was involved in the planning
of Catherine's wedding to Prince William.
However, according to Carole, her primary role in helping Catherine plan her wedding
was offering a listening ear, revealing:
"There are no rules in this house.
I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom!"
Carole Middleton and Catherine, Princess of Wales, could totally be twins for two reasons,
throwback photos and fashion.
In a March 2020 Instagram post for Mother's Day, Prince William and Catherine shared a
collection of photos on Instagram.
One of the included photos was a snap of Carole Middleton holding her eldest daughter as a
baby.
As many fans soon noticed, it's nearly impossible not to notice the resemblance between the
young Carole and the future Queen of England, as both share voluminous, chestnut brown hair,
a similar face shape, and those signature dimples.
The similarities don’t stop there, though.
The two aren’t shy to snag looks from each other either as Carole’s been seen wearing
Catherine’s bubblegum pink ME+EM dress.
Carole Middleton has tried to live a relatively normal lifestyle despite being the mother
of the Princess of Wales.
Speaking with The Telegraph about the attention she and her family often receive, Carole revealed
her life is still normal most of the time and she thrives in it.
The mother of three told The Telegraph:
Of course, it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to see that Carole's desire to
be normal likely comes from her humble upbringing and years of working hard.
After all, Carole's younger years were much more conventional than the lavish lifestyles
members of the royal family enjoy.
When she's not looking fabulous while attending royal weddings, Carole's life does actually
seem pretty normal.
The businesswoman told The Telegraph:
Between spending time with family and working, Carole's life isn't all that different from
the average person's day-to-day life.
As of October 2022, it appears Carole has no plans to stop working and hand over her
business, Party Pieces, to someone else.
"For those reasons, I’m out."
As Carole told The Telegraph:
Carole's ambition to put off retirement for as long as possible is understandable.
After all, per the Party Pieces website, she built her company from the ground up and has
kept it successfully operating for more than 30 years.
Carole Middleton is a family gal, through and through.
While she may wear many hats, it seems that her favorite role of all is being a grandma.
In May 2020, Carole's son James Middleton shared a video of himself on social media
that gave a peak into his life while quarantining his fiancée and parents at their home.
Spending time with family has always been important to Carole, who told The Telegraph:
When it comes to holiday festivities from Halloween to Christmas, she's all about celebrating,
which makes sense considering she's built an entire business, Party Pieces, around party accessories.