Mrs Middleton became one of the UK’s most famous mother-in-laws when her daughter Kate wed Prince William. She is now grandmother to the future monarch, Prince George, and thought to be a pillar of support to the Cambridges, and able to provide a sense of normality away from the Royal Family. However, there was a time when she feared for her daughter’s future with the second-in-line to the throne.
Journalist and author Katie Nicholl explained that Mrs Middleton was “jittery” in the absence of a ring on Kate’s finger several years’ into their relationship — as the couple had been dating since they were both students at St Andrews University.
Then, when William visited Kate’s family shortly before Christmas in 2009, Mrs Middleton took him aside.
In Ms Nicholl’s book, ‘Kate: The Future Queen’, a family friend claimed Kate’s mother had expressed her worries to William in a private meeting.
He allegedly then assured her there would be an engagement and a marriage, as well as children in the future.
William has kept to his word — the couple are approaching their tenth wedding anniversary in April this year, and have three children together.
Reports also claim the Duke of Cambridge actually made a specific promise of commitment to Kate after they broke up in April 2007.
They spent several months apart before he tried to win her back.
He ended up taking Kate to the Seychelles and promised “she was the one”, and made a pact to marry her.
In turn, she agreed to wait until he was ready.
Despite her “jitters” over William’s willingness to commit, Mrs Middleton, and her husband Michael, were supposedly a shoulder for Kate to cry on during the couple’s brief break-up — and was insistent that their split would not be forever.
Mrs Middleton is still a large part of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s lives today.
A former neighbour of the Middletons, George Brown, also told Ms Nicholl: “It was a condition when Kate and William got married that Carole and Michael would be a part of their grandchildren’s lives.”
Mrs Middleton and Michael were supposedly the first family members to visit the eldest Cambridge child, George, when he was born in 2013.
Kate’s family are thought to be so close to the youngest generation of royals that at one point Prince Charles was reportedly furiously jealous of their bond.
George’s third birthday party in 2016 was arranged by the Middletons, and while Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were invited, the Prince of Wales felt frustrated that he rarely got to see his grandson.
A source told Ms Nicholl: “Charles didn’t want to miss his grandson’s birthday but the fact that the whole thing was essentially a Middleton event with Carole orchestrating the whole thing is exactly what upsets him.”
However, it’s not just the royal grandchildren who hold Mrs Middleton in high esteem.
A source close to the family said: “William’s-in-laws have become like second parents and Carole is almost a Diana-type mum.”
Royal author Phil Dampier even claimed that Mrs Middleton is “very much a power behind the throne and her influence is immense” in discussion with The Sun last year.
Kate and William have also set aside a “granny flat” for the Middleton family in their Kensington palace apartment, according to reports.
