Kate Middleton And Carole Middleton: Two Peas In A Pod

Nov 16, 2020 by apost team

Carole Middleton does not get as much media attention as her royal in-laws, but when she does, she makes the headlines for how much she and her daughter Kate Middleton look alike. Scroll down to see pictures of the mother of the Duchess of Cambridge for yourself!

Seeing Carole Middleton just one time would dissolve any wonder you have ever had about where Kate Middleton got her stunning looks from. And they look identical, too! For Mother’s Day last year (which is celebrated in March in the United Kingdom), the official Kensington Royal Instagram page shared a series of four photos commemorating mothers from the Cambridge family: Duchess Kate, the late Princess Diana, and Kate’s mother, Carole.

The post was captioned with the message: "To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart—we are thinking of you all at this difficult time."

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The photo of Carole Middleton got fans buzzing because of how much Kate Middleton looked like her. The picture, which sees Carole carrying a baby Kate, was decorated in comments with the words “stunning,” “pretty,” and “gorgeous,” as fans raved about how beautiful Carole looked in the photo. Some even went so far as to say they could pass for twins.

Several commented that the post was uplifting to see especially during the current pandemic and many wished a happy Mother's Day not only to Kate Middleton and her mother, but also all other moms out there.

According to the book, Kate Middleton: From Commoner to Duchess of Cambridge, Carole Middleton was born on January 31st, 1955, in Perivale, London. Her father was Ronald Goldsmith, a builder. Ronald and his wife, Carole’s mother Dorothy, raised their family in a council house in Southall and she attended state schools in the area. She worked as a flight attendant for British Airways and met her husband-to-be on the job. Michael Francis Middleton worked as a steward for the airline before getting promoted to a flight dispatcher. The book elaborates that Carole Middleton came from a more humble background as compared to her husband. His forefathers were wealthy solicitors (his great-grandfather Noel married Olive Lupton who hailed from a rich Leeds family), while Carole’s forefathers were manual laborers, coal miners specifically.

In 2013, she was seen departing St Mary's Hospital on July 23, 2013, in London where she visited her daughter and son-in-law Prince William after Kate gave birth to their first child, Prince George. She wore a light blue dress, which was very similar to the one her daughter wore as the family left the hospital.

Carole Middleton was thrust into the spotlight when Kate Middleton, her firstborn, married into royalty. A lesser-known fact about her is that she is a businesswoman who owns a celebration company called Party Pieces. On November 12th, 2020, she took to Party Pieces’ Instagram page to give a “winter message” to followers. She said of the approaching holiday season: 

“We may not be able to get together but, after a year like 2020, we need to remember what’s really important this Christmas. For me, what really matters is that my family feels connected. I normally let my grandchildren help me decorate the tree. This year, I’ll ask them by video call to decide which decoration should go where. It may need to be tastefully rearranged later…!”

Carole Middleton has four grandchildren in total, Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, Prince Louis, two, and Arthur, the two-year-old son of her second daughter, and Kate’s younger sister, Pippa Middleton.

Below she is pictured with Michael Middleton, her husband of four decades and counting, at the wedding of their daughter Kate to Prince William in April 2011 in London. The wedding was attended by 1900 guests that included international royal family members and heads of state.

Besides good looks, Kate Middleton has also taken after her mother’s love for charity work. Back in April, Carole did her part to help amid the coronavirus pandemic by donating goody bags and toys to children in an NHS hospital. Party Pieces’ Instagram page posted a picture of her loading a box full of goodies into the trunk of a car with the caption, as reported by Town & County: "Happy to help @helpnhsheroes with some toys for children's wards”

Besides the donations, Town & Country reported that Carole Middleton, together with husband Michael, kept busy during lockdown by video-calling their grandkids.

In another photo below, Carole and Michael Middleton are pictured outside their home near the Berkshire village of Bucklebury as they made a statement to the press regarding Kate Middleton's engagement to Prince William in November 2010.

Coming from relatively humble roots, who could have ever thought that Carole and Michael Middleton's firstborn child would go on to marry the UK's future king! Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, better known as Kate, was born on January 9, 1982, followed shortly after by a second daughter named Philippa Charlotte Middleton, who was born on September 6, 1983, and is best known as Pippa. Following the birth of their two daughters, the Middletons moved to Amman, Jordan, where Michael Middleton worked for British Airways from 1984-1987. This was also the year that the couple's last child, a son named James William Middelton was born, and the year that Carole Middleton established Party Pieces. 

All three Middleton children have gone on to successful careers, each distinct in their own way but also featuring a familiar thread. Of course, Kate Middleton is the most famous, but before becoming the Duchess of Cambridge, she was headed for a career in fashion, which for anyone who's a fan of her sense of style, makes perfect sense! Supposedly growing up as a tomboy, Kate Middleton went on to study art history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, which is where she met Prince William. After graduating in 2005, she worked part-time for the clothing brand Jigsaw as an accessory buyer. On top of her work in fashion, she also helped out with her parents' business, assisting on catalog design and production, marketing, and photography. In fact, her passion for photography is still evident today, as the doting mom of three often takes gorgeous candid photographs of her children and family, many of which are posted to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's official Instagram. She has also used her trained stylistic eye to curate photography exhibitions for charity.

Carole and Michael Middleton's second daughter, Pippa Middleton, chose a slightly different path than her older sister. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in English Literature, she worked briefly in public relations, before moving into events management. At the same time, she began writing for various publications including Vanity Fair, The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph, and more. She also helped out with the family business and even landed a lucrative book deal, releasing Celebrate, a book about hosting events, in 2012. Unfortunately, the book undersold and wasn't well-received, due to its obvious advice and content. Since then Pippa Middleton has gotten married and also had a child, and appears to be focusing on charity work now.

The youngest Middleton child is James, whose path has been the most different to his sisters. Born on April 15, 1987, James Middleton also attended the University of Edinburgh, his sister Pippa's alma mater, but he dropped out after one year. Afterward, he started a cake-making business but after some time the company dissolved. That venture led him to start a marshmallow company named Boomf, which is still going strong. James Middleton has also been a voice for mental health issues, speaking about his depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

What's interesting to see is that not only have all three Middleton children worked for their family's business, Party Pieces, but all of their original career paths are somewhat in tandem with their parents'. Kate Middleton's eye for design and style helped her work in fashion and hone her photo skills while working with Party Pieces on design and photography; Pippa Middleton's choice to work in public relations and events management, plus release a book about hosting events is also in line with the family's business; while James Middleton's cake-making business venture and marshmallow gift company are also related. Carole and Michael Middleton have clearly raised three lovely children who take their family's business seriously and have not only helped with it, but they've also been influenced by it in their own career pursuits.

Family seems to be a major driver for the Middletons and that is even evident through Party Pieces. On the company's official website, Carole Middleton states:

"Party Pieces began as a way to make it easier to celebrate those special events with friends and family, and it's something we've never lost focus of."

A family that not only works together but shares a passion for the same things and appears to always be there supporting one another is a beautiful thing. It's an aspect of Kate Middleton that has always been clear to the public, but without knowing her family history it's been unclear where she gets it from. After learning about her closeness with her mother Carole Middleton, it's evident that the apple certainly doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Doesn't Kate Middleton look so much like her mom?  Did you know about the family backstory and how close the Middletons really are? Let us know what you thought of this story in the comments!