Princess Kate’s mother Carole Middleton is said to “struggle” with the public attention that comes with having the future queen as your daughter.
Carole and husband Michael were thrust into the spotlight when Kate began dating Prince William in 2002.
As the grandparents of a future king, there has been some discussion of late as to whether their position in the Royal Family warrants them to receive official titles.
Being recognised officially by Buckingham Palace would be seen as a way to “reward them for their unstinting loyalty and discretion,” reports Sophia Money-Coutts in the Daily Mail.
Now Richard Eden, Diary Editor at the Mail, has revealed Carole initially struggled with adjusting to life in the public eye.
Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, he said: “[She] really has played a key role in particularly over the past year with Catherine’s health problems, she and her husband Michael have really been there supporting.
“We saw an example of that when they were chosen to feature in the video that Catherine released to celebrate her recovery really.
“That was very significant that they did. I spoke to Carole years ago, back in 2008, and she made the point then that she was very uncomfortable with all of the attention.
“Quite really distinct from that image that we’ve got of her being the pushy mother that Netflix promoted in The Crown, where they were suggesting she pushed her daughter towards Prince William.
It was quite the opposite that came across, that she was very uncomfortable with all of this attention, which she has managed over all of those years.”
King Charles is said to be “grateful” for the support the Middletons have offered over the past 20 years, despite reports of tension when Prince George was born in 2013.
Money-Coutts reports: “The only question now is whether the Middletons will be granted a title – as grandparents of a future king, and to reward them for their unstinting loyalty and discretion over the past two decades.
“When Prince George was born in 2013, there were rumours of tension between the-then Prince Charles and the Middletons over who saw the new baby first.
Classic grandparent stuff. But in recent years, the King is said simply to be grateful for the support they’ve shown his son, so perhaps an earldom is somewhere down the line, although insiders say this is more likely to happen when William becomes king.”
Businessman Sir John Madejski has previously called for the couple to be made the “Earl and Countess of Bucklebury” – the Berkshire village where the couple raised their children Catherine, James and Pippa.
The Middletons have maintained a public profile over the years that has focused on their family and business rather than actively seeking out the limelight.
The couple met when they were working at British Airways, raising their three children while building their careers as entrepreneurs. They started their retail business, Party Pieces, in the 1980s and sold it after it was bought out of administration.
