Kate Middleton's Parents Were Rather Well off Even Before Their Daughter Became a Princess
Kate Middleton's parents were already considerably wealthy even before she became a princess of the British Royal Family.
Mar. 15 2024, Published 11:26 a.m. ET
Between 2022 and 2024, folks have found it increasingly difficult to sympathize with members of the British Royal Family. The death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 was met with both condolences and a string of memes and jokes across the internet. King Charles III's unorthodox response to his own concerning health diagnosis in 2023 left many to criticize him for for wasting the resources afforded to him due to his royal standing and privilege. Of course, Kate Middleton hasn't been spared from negative press.
The Princess of Wales has been in the spotlight for... not being in the spotlight. In early 2024, Kate receded from the public eye as she underwent "planned abdominal surgery" and a subsequent hospital stay. Since then, she's been subject to all sorts of speculation and conspiracy theories regarding alleged cover-ups of her current health status. As rumors continue to circulate, even her parents have been caught in the mix. So who are Kate Middleton's parents and what are the rumors about them?
Kate Middleton comes from money, and a lot of it.
Kate was born into her upper-middle-class family on Jan. 9, 1982. Her parents are Michael Middleton and Carole Middleton (née Goldsmith). Though neither of them were explicitly royalty before Kate's marriage, each of them found financial success and wealth well before their daughter became Princess of Wales.
Michael Middleton's family had already been married into British aristocracy by the early 20th century and have benefited from trust funds ever since. As for Michael himself, he worked as a flight dispatcher for British Airways.
Kate's mother Carole, on the other hand, founded her own business. In 1987, she established Party Pieces, a mail order party supply company that was active until May 2023 when the company fell into administration.
All this is to say that Kate Middleton's parents were already better than well off by the time Kate married into British royalty. Despite her royal status, though, they still strive to take care of their children. When news broke about Kate's abdominal surgery, PEOPLE confirmed that Kate's parents "[would] be there to lend support" during her recovery.
A palace insider told PEOPLE, "[Kate's] parents are an enduring factor in the upbringing of their grandchildren. And they will be a reassuring presence when she goes back to Windsor to recuperate."
However, even Kate's parents have been roped into the media circus of conspiracy theories.
As posited in a timeline drawn up by Salon, neither Michael nor Carole have been spotted in public since Kate's surgery was announced.
While that doesn't say much about what the Middletons are really up to during this difficult period, it certainly adds fuel to the fire already surrounding the British Royal Family and Kate Middleton's health status.
Keep reading Distractify for the latest news on the Royal Family.
