It wasn’t just the Princess of Wales who had to get to grips with the intense public scrutiny when she married Prince William, it was her family too. The Middletons were thrust into the spotlight and had to figure out how they were going to handle the attention.
Carole’s approach was to be very selective with what she said publicly, which royal author Ingrid Seward believes is the key to her success. In her new book, Catherine & Diana, she claims, “Put simply, Carole used her head, not her heart, when dealing with the phenomenon of becoming mother-in-law to the Prince of Wales.”
According to her, the same couldn’t be said for Princess Diana’s mother Frances Shand Kydd, who was the total “opposite”. Ingrid explains, “Carole’s wiliness was in her silence – it’s what has made a woman from truly humble beginnings such a successful royal mother-in-law.”
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Frances was the daughter of Baron Fermoy and her mother Ruth had also served as a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen Mother. The aristocratic connections were there but she supposedly failed to win Queen Elizabeth’s seal of approval like Carole decades later.
As Ingrid puts it, “The Queen liked Carole very much; she didn’t like Frances.”
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Princess Diana’s mother once said she was “always too honest” and the author suggests that the royals weren’t thrilled about how often and how much she spoke out. In comparison, Carole’s only given a few interviews since Kate and William’s wedding and none at all since they became Prince and Princess of Wales.
In her first ever one in 2018 she even told The Telegraph, “Over the years, it’s proved wise not to say anything.” Frances could’ve chosen “silence” too but didn’t and we all know how important discretion is to the Royal Family.
The Queen clearly appreciated it from her grandson’s mother-in-law and they forged a bond. Carole was pictured in the passenger seat of the monarch’s Range Rover at Balmoral in 2016 and she and Michael were guests at the main castle.
The Middletons are still often seen with the royals at big occasions now and as the grandparents of future King, George, they’ll have a huge impact on the monarchy’s future too. They’ve already been a big influence on William, who said in his and Kate’s engagement interview that he’s “very lucky” that the close-knit family have been so supportive.
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Royal author Russell Myers has also suggested that the “constant presence” of the Middletons in their lives has been very valued, especially when the kids were young.
“William appreciated their involvement beyond measure, enjoying their company and the normalcy of the environment, whatever the circumstance,” he wrote in William & Catherine.
According to Myers, the Prince of Wales once told an aide that having his in-laws there meant they had “more room to breathe”. The author added, “Michael and Carole enjoyed visiting the couple in Norfolk and would often stay for weekends, providing much-needed extra support for the young family.”
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