When Prince William began dating Princess Catherine, much was made out of her parents’ class background. Her mom, Carole Middleton, is from a working-class family and grew up in public housing, whereas her dad, Michael Middleton, hails from a well-off family. However, the Middletons became wealthy through their Party Pieces business and were able to give Catherine a traditional middle-class upbringing. Catherine grew up in a gorgeous childhood home and she and her siblings were all sent to private school.
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. At the time, there were claims that elitist folks within William’s inner circle deemed Carole uncouth and uncultured. William was reportedly angered by these classist attacks on Carole. “William does not believe that anyone genuinely — or even remotely — connected with him would say such things and is horrified that these reports have emerged,” a source told the Daily Mail. “He suspects there is a great deal of mischief-making going on … and thinks it is extremely unfair and totally unnecessary, particularly for Kate and her family.”
From the outset, Prince William felt loved and welcomed by the Middletons
When Prince William and Princess Catherine went public with their engagement in 2010, the former spoke of his fondness for Carole and Michael Middleton, who had already made him feel like a member of the family. “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. Mike and Carole have been really loving and caring and really fun and have been really welcoming towards me, so I’ve felt really a part of the family.”
In 2011, friends opened up to Vanity Fair about William’s bond with the Middletons. One pal said that William loved going on vacation with his in-laws because of how relaxed they are, which must be in stark contrast to holidaying with his own family, who are beholden to royal protocol. “He’s always saying how much fun Carole is,” a friend explained. “She’s very young in spirit and a great entertainer. One of her and Michael’s favorite after-dinner party jokes is announcing the flights coming into Mustique in their best air-steward voices as they dine alfresco. It always has William in hysterics.” This bit is a reference to Carole and Michael’s past careers in the airline industry.
