How Kate Middleton’s Mom Carole Became the Royal Family’s Secret Weapon at the ‘Slimmed-Down’ Palace

Royal fans have watched the royal family “slim down” after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, but there is one person who has been added to the trusted roster: Carole Middleton.

Kate Middleton’s mom has found herself in the inner circle at the palace, according to The Times. The media outlet described her story as almost a Cinderella fairytale as she and her husband, Michael Middleton, were outsiders looking in until they “passed both the town and country tests” to earn invitations to Balmoral and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations after Kate’s marriage to Prince William.

Now that the beloved monarch has passed, it is William who is reportedly keeping his in-laws close, especially after Kate’s cancer battle in 2024.

“The Middletons are a great source of comfort for William, giving him a sense of the normal family, which he has craved and missed out on,” a source told the outlet.

Even with high-profile outings to King Charles’ coronation and prime seats at Wimbledon, the couple has kept “their heads down” after their Party Pieces business went bankrupt in 2023, and they left vendors holding the bill to the tune of $3.47 million.

Still, the royal family has bigger scandals occupying them right now, and William reportedly appreciates the Middleton family’s sense of “normalcy,” according to royal expert Katie Nicholl on the Dynasty: The Royal Family’s Most Challenging Year podcast in August 2025, per the Daily Mail.

“They [the Middletons] would always stick together,” Nicholl explained. “They were a very tight unit, and they’re still the same today.”

That close bond was witnessed in 2024 throughout Kate’s health challenges when Carole and Michael stepped up to help with their three grandchildren, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.

“Her parents are an enduring factor in the upbringing of their grandchildren,” a royal source told People in April 2024. “And they will be a reassuring presence when she goes back to Windsor to recuperate.”

Carole’s ability to move quietly behind the scenes has earned her a coveted spot as one of the royal family’s trusted sources. As Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s scandal continues to unfold, it’s likely that the Middletons will become even more valuable to the palace in the future.

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Before you go, click here to see more photos of Prince William & Kate Middleton through the years.