Here’s a look inside Prince William’s relationship with Carole and Michael Middleton.
But the class system has long been ingrained in British culture.
Being middle-class, Catherine was deemed by some as an unsuitable match for upper-class William.
Subsequently, her mom ended up being targeted by the press over her class background.
In 2007, William and Catherine temporarily broke up and some blamed Carole for the split.
William was reportedly angered by these classist attacks on Carole.
“Perhaps it was the constant references to Waity Katie which got to William,” Nicholl wrote.
“Possibly it was the words of his soon-to-be mother-in-law which rang in the prince’s ears.
He stayed true to his promise and asked for Catherine’s hand in marriage in November 2010.
It was, of course, an unconventional move, and a risky one at that.
“So I thought if I ask Kate first then he can’t really say no.
So I did it that way round.
But William’s proposal confession tested Middleton’s loyalty to the royal family.
The prince, of course, needed permission from his grandmother before he could tie the knot.
He therefore asked him to promise to keep the engagement a secret until Her Majesty had been informed.
Middleton agreed and kept quiet about the joyful news, thus cementing his loyalty to The Firm.
“Kate’s got a very, very close family,” William told ITV News at the time.
“I get on really well with them and I’m very lucky that they’ve been so supportive.
In 2011, friends opened up to Vanity Fair about William’s bond with the Middletons.
“He’s always saying how much fun Carole is,” a friend explained.
“She’s very young in spirit and a great entertainer.
It always has William in hysterics.”
This bit is a reference to Carole and Michael’s past careers in the airline industry.
He also had the opportunity for some male bonding with Michael.
“They had a barbecue on Saturday afternoon,” a source told theDaily Mail.
“Mike helped William, while the ladies entertained Prince George.”
It’s touching that Carole and Michael would want to spend their special day with William.
That’s not the only issue Charles has had with the in-laws, however.
“As a consequence, they decided to ignore Carole Middleton on social occasions.”
Carole and Michael needn’t worry too much, however, as William has their back.
The Prince of Wales has been slowly helping his in-laws prepare for being parents of Britain’s future queen.
Otherwise the likelihood for making a mistake is pretty high.”
This resulted in immense trauma for the young prince.
He has thus been taking notes when watching the Middletons interact with their own children.
Subsequently, royal insiders have remarked that Carole is essentially a surrogate mother to William.
“William’s in-laws have become like second parents,” an insider toldThe Sunin 2021.
Carole has thus provided some much needed maternal stability for the prince.
And whereas Diana often confided in her son, William is now able to confide in Carole.
“With Carole and Michael he’s got people to confide in who are removed from the monarchy.”
The princes lost their mom at incredibly young ages and are now estranged from each other.
Speaking toThe Sunin 2020, royal author Phil Dampier revealed the extent of Middleton’s influence on her son-in-law.
“William has been leaning on Carole and Michael a lot during Megxit,” the source said.
“Understandably William and Kate have been very upset by what has happened.
Being able to talk to Carole and share his feelings has been a great help.”
For instance, the Middletons attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s nuptials in 2018.
They also paid their respects at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Windsor Castle in 2022, accompanying V.I.P.
guests and senior royals.
Notably, the Middletons attended King Charles III’s coronation in May 2023.
“That has been a direct request from the Prince of Wales himself,” Hardman wrote.
As a source told the author, “Having all of them there was very important to him.
He was absolutely insistent that his wife’s family be properly included.”
began circulating on social media.
The bad publicity was unusual for Catherine, who is usually a media darling.
So, when Catherine was clouded by bad publicity following the doctored photo, William felt hurt and helpless.
Namely, Carole came to the rescue to help her grandchildren adjust to their new normal.
