It’s been quite some time since Carole Middleton last gave an interview and that’s hardly surprising given how senior her eldest daughter, Catherine, Princess of Wales is in the Royal Family. However, the rare occasions she has spoken out have been enlightening and back in 2018 she openly revealed her "biggest fear".
Speaking to The Telegraph, Carole expressed love for motherhood, admitting that she’d "have had five or six [children] if [she] could". She described herself as "definitely hands-on" and confessed that she used to worry about her family growing apart.
"My biggest fear [as her offspring grew up] was that I’d lose my family, but we’ve stayed close," she shared. "There are times when they say, "Can you do this, or that?" and I can’t quite. But they like the fact that I work."
Juggling her responsibilities at her former business, Party Pieces, with parenting Kate, Pippa and James can’t have been easy, but throughout it all - as Carole said - they’ve "stayed close". If anyone ever doubted whether this would remain the case when the Princess of Wales joined the Royal Family, they’ve been proved wrong.
As her children have grown up and had their own kids, Carole has maintained a brilliant bond with all of them. Carole and Michael Middleton have consistently been included in royal occasions too, and were invited to both Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and King Charles’s coronation.
When the Princess of Wales revealed that she completed her cancer treatment last year in a video filmed by Will Warr, her parents were once again featured. In an adorable clip, fans saw the Waleses playing cards with Carole and Michael.
Since 2022 ,when the Prince and Princess of Wales moved to Adelaide Cottage, they’ve also been geographically closer to the Middletons than ever. It’s recently been confirmed that they’ll be moving again before the year is out and their rumoured "forever home" Forest Lodge is equally convenient for trips to Bucklebury.
Carole and Michael’s younger children, Pippa and James, and their families also live in Berkshire. Although their lives have all changed substantially, her family have remained as tight-knit as ever, dispelling her once-held "fear".
Her upbringing also seems to have heavily influenced the future Queen’s parenting style too, as she has also been described as "hands-on". Prince George, Charlotte and Louis have inherited Kate and her family’s love of sports and she and William are giving them as down-to-earth an upbringing as possible with plenty of privacy like she enjoyed.
According to the BBC, it’s understood that when they move house the Waleses won’t have any live-in staff. This is already the case at Adelaide Cottage and it might surprise some fans given that Prince William is first in the royal line of succession.
However, it could be seen as another indication of Prince William and Kate wanting to give their children a more "ordinary" upbringing. In their engagement interview in 2010, the Princess revealed she was hoping to have a family like hers.
"I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves. Because they've been great over the years - helping me with difficult times. We see a lot of each other and they are very, very dear to me," she said.
