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Why working for finger clicking Carole ain't no party! Kate's mother 'bombards staff with emails, docks their pay for going to the dentist and shuns those who disagree with her'


www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6894447/Kate-Middletons-mother-bombards-staff-emails-docks-pay-going-dentist.html

Kate's mother was accused of bombarding staff with demanding emails

Staff clock in and out – and may lose pay if they don't work exact hours

Michael's is like a father figure who soothes staff ruffled by his wife


By BEN ELLERY, IAN GALLAGHER, ABUL TAHER AND MARK WOOD FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

PUBLISHED: 16:59 EST, 6 April 2019 | UPDATED: 00:28 EST, 7 April 2019

Kate Middleton's 'vulnerable' mother speaks out for first time

Since Kate Middleton was first courted by Prince William more than five years ago, her mother, Carole, has been the model of discretion. The glamorous businesswoman has, however, now broken her silence to voice her concerns about the impact that public scrutiny is having on her life.

Richard Eden
Published: 10:00PM GMT 06 Dec 2008

Kate Middleton's 'vulnerable' mother speaks out for first time

Kate Middleton's mother Carole has spoken out about the impact that public scrutiny is having on her life Photo: BRENDAN BEIRNE

"You see, I feel very vulnerable about everything," she told Mandrake last weekend at the Hennessy Gold Cup, at Newbury racecourse, just a few miles from her house in Berkshire. "I'm not a celebrity and don't want to be one. Celebrities have minders and PR people. I don't want a PR person and wouldn't want to have to pay to employ one. I haven't asked for all this."

Carole, 53, who was an air stewardess when flying was still chic, owns Party Pieces, a successful mail-order company providing children's party paraphernalia, with her husband, Michael. "I'm concerned about my business; that's my focus," she said. "I don't want the attention to detract from that. I'm also worried for my family: I have three children – not just Catherine."

Carole has been subjected to much criticism for her alleged faux pas, such as being captured by television cameras chewing gum during William's passing-out ceremony at Sandhurst in 2006. It was also claimed that she used the word "toilet" and phrases such as "pleased to meet you" and "pardon" when introduced to the Queen.

In fact, she has never met Her Majesty and the gum was apparently a nicotine substitute that she needed to help her give up smoking.

Carole is also concerned about the media glare on her son, James, who set up the Cake Kit Company in 2007 after quitting Edinburgh University at the end of his first year. "James is very good with it all," says his mother. "He writes articles and has business projects which he wants to talk about, but then it's difficult when everything else is going on around him and people don't just want to know about his projects."

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/3629589/Kate-Middletons-vulnerable-mother-speaks-out-for-first-time.html

Kate Middleton's family launch range for brides on a budget

Prince William has not proposed to Kate Middleton yet but he may be heartened to learn that she has an economical approach to weddings.


Kate Middleton Photo: Getty


By Laura Roberts 6:11PM BST 04 Apr 2010

A dedicated wedding accessory range has recently been launched by Party Pieces, the company owned by Miss Middleton's parents Carole and Michael and for which she works, designed for brides on a budget.

Items range from wedding cake party bubbles from just 45p, wedding embossed confetti for £1.99, silhouette invitation card packs at £6.99 to a three tier wedding cake stand on offer at £19.99 instead of the usual £39.99.

However, the company's wedding journal - described as "the essential gift for every bride-to-be" - is out of stock at £14.99.

"Your essential wedding table list: placecards, party favours, table centrepiece- helium balloons look great, some conversation starters such as trivia to get the guests talking and decorative accessories such as table confetti," says the wedding section.

And as for the wedding and engagement party, the site claims: "Little touches make a big impact. Use an organza drape as a table cover overlay and organza rolls for runners, ribbons and drape effects around the edges of the buffet table."

The wedding section also offers advice on the subject of Hen Night parties. It advocates "dressing up the bride in embarrassing accessories" such as a learner plate while fellow guests wear "full fancy dress" or at the least "feather boas".

Last week the 28 year-old, who has been in a relationship with Prince William for seven years, revealed childhood memories on the Party Pieces website.

She recalled dressing up as a clown in giant dungarees and playing musical statues as a child because she has 'always been a keen dancer'.

The interview appeared in a blog on the family's party accessories firm website but it was removed last week along with those of her sister Pippa, 26, and brother James, 22.

Before working for the firm, which is based close to the family home in Berkshire, Miss Middleton, who has been nicknamed Waity Katie because of the length of her relationship with Prince William, was an accessories buyer for the junior fashion range at Jigsaw.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7552256/Kate-Middletons-family-launch-range-for-brides-on-a-budget.html

Kate Middleton's father and engaging talk for Prince William

When Prince William was repeatedly asked during his recent visit to the Antipodes when he and Kate Middelton were going to be married, he patiently asked his well-wishers to "wait and see". Mandrake hears that the waiting game may soon be over, however.

By Richard Eden
Published: 11:00PM GMT 06 Feb 2010


When Prince William was repeatedly asked when he and Kate Middelton were going to be married, he patiently asked his well wishers to 'wait and see' Photo: REUTERS


It can be disclosed that William's prospective father-in-law, Michael Middleton, is considering taking a step back from running his successful family business. Friends in the Berkshire village of Bucklebury have interpreted this as a signal that the former airline pilot wants to concentrate on preparations for a Royal wedding later this year.

"We are all convinced an engagement announcement is imminent," says a pal of Mr Middleton, a popular and respected figure locally. The friend suggests that he wants to concentrate his energies on the future of his eldest child.

Mr Middleton, who turned 60 last year, and his wife, Carole, launched Party Pieces, which provides children's party paraphernalia, in 1992. They are believed to have become millionaires through the company.

A friend of Kate, who was 28 last month, is also confident that there is an "understanding" between the two graduates of St Andrew's University that a wedding is now inevitable. It is simply a matter of choosing the date.

Kate, who is tiring of her "Waity Katie" nickname, is often seen walking the family's dog around her home village, on one occasion recently with a smiling Prince William, 27, in tow.

February is a good month for announcing Royal engagements. The news of the Prince of Wales's betrothal to Lady Diana Spencer was made public in February 1981 and they were married at St Paul's Cathedral five months later.

In her first and only interview, Kate's mother told me in 2008 that she did not wish to be famous. "I'm not a celebrity and don't want to be one," said Carole, who was 55 last weekend.

"Celebrities have minders and PR people. I don't want a PR person and wouldn't want to have to pay to employ one. I haven't asked for all this. I'm concerned about my business; that's my focus. I don't want the attention to detract from that. I'm also worried for my family: I have three children – not just Catherine."

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7176396/Kate-Middletons-father-and-engaging-talk-for-Prince-William.html

BBC puts money on Prince William to marry Kate Middleton

When Kate Middleton was photographed with Prince William at the polo earlier this month, she was described by one newspaper as the "lesser-spotted Kate" because of the length of time that had passed since their last appearance together. However, according to the BBC, the couple will soon be announcing their engagement.


By Richard Eden
Published: 9:58PM BST 23 May 2009

Mandrake can disclose that the corporation is making a programme about the pair's courtship, Their Story, which will be broadcast on the night that their betrothal is officially announced.

"Believe me, in these straitened times, we would not be spending money on this programme if we had not been assured that they were definitely going to get engaged," says a senior BBC executive.

A spokesman for Clarence House says it is aware of the documentary but declined to co-operate with the producers.

Officially, the BBC is, understandably, keen to play down suggestions that it has been tipped off.

"We plan ahead for different eventualities," says a spokesman, who is, though, unable to recall a single other occasion on which it has made such a programme.

"The relationship is an area that our viewers are very interested in." The spokesman declines to say how much the documentary will cost.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/5374257/BBC-puts-money-on-Prince-William-to-marry-Kate-Middleton.html

Kate Middleton: could the wait be over at last?

Insiders believe this could be the year Kate Middleton finally marries her prince.


By Rosie Mortimer
Published: 7:06PM GMT 28 Jan 2009


Kate Middleton: Royal insiders suggest a wedding announcement is imminent


Britain's Prince William smiles as he walks with his girlfriend Kate Middleton at RAF Cranwell, central England Photo: REUTERS


Kate Middleton: Royal life has always been a waiting game.


The writer Kathy Lette recently attended a polo match in which Prince William and Prince Harry were playing. Guests were gathered inside a large marquee, talking, drinking champagne and showing, at best, a mild interest in the polo. Lette noticed a small tent in a corner of a field and wandered over to find out what was going on inside.

There was Kate Middleton, sitting alone, watching the match intently. "Why don't you come and join the rest of the party?" Lette asked.

"You can't be having much fun here," said Lette. "Why don't you play polo yourself?"

"I'm allergic to horses."

It's a telling snapshot of someone who's keen to go the distance – of a bride-in-waiting. A royal wedding is looking increasingly likely; royal correspondents and photographers have been obsessively decoding the dates of official engagements to work out when the free window will be. Many are convinced it will take place later this year.

Even if we have to wait longer, that doesn't mean much – it's in the nature of modern couples to break up, get back together and then linger on into their thirties before the church – or abbey – is booked. In many ways, Kate and William are conducting a classic modern romance. That said, a source close to the prince told me that their brief split was just "a strange stunt to throw off the press".

Their devotion is clearly mutual. One friend of theirs remembers that when she told Kate how lucky she is to be with Prince William, Kate replied, "He's lucky to be with me." When William controversially landed a helicopter in the Middletons' garden, one of his fellow soldiers said: "Lots of lads do it. It shows a bloke impressing his girlfriend rather than the girl trailing him around." Soldiers under Prince William's command are delighted by the couple. "The boys love the prince and give him a lot of friendly stick over Kate, but think she's gorgeous," says a contemporary.

Kate met William at the University of St Andrew's, where they soon became friends. In their second year, they moved into a flat with two other students and became lovers. A friend described it as a typical student existence: "They were just like any other couple, and spent most of the time sarcastically teasing each other. Once, they were watching a quiz show and Kate wasn't able to answer an easy question. William started to imitate her, answering the question as if he were very stupid."

His humour is of the classic Sloane variety – a mixture of gentle teasing and self-mockery. At a reception to mark the 40th anniversary of Centrepoint, the charity for the homeless, one girl was so nervous that she could hardly speak when introduced to the prince, but William laughed and said, "Don't worry about it, just imagine me naked."

Prince William was very much left alone while at university, allowing the couple to conduct a relationship that was as far from the public eye as they could have hoped for. As a result, Kate is more mature and sure of herself than Diana, Princess of Wales was. Indeed, comparisons between an immature, woefully underprepared Lady Diana Spencer and Kate Middleton are tempting, but misleading.

In any discussion of the differences between the two women, class – that old British bugbear – inevitably rears its head. Kate's family may not be upper class, but it is supportive and has nurtured her self-confidence. Her mother Carole was an air hostess, her father Michael a pilot. When Kate was five, her parents left their jobs and started a business together (Party Pieces, a mail-order and online company selling paraphernalia for children's parties). Her mother, once dubbed "Doors to Manual", is sometimes accused of being both common – one young acquaintance of the family said, "Her parents have a Tarmac drive, for God's sake" – and overly ambitious for her daughter.

But Michael Kallenbach, a psychotherapist from Wiltshire, who is in touch with several teachers and students at Kate's old school, Marlborough College, tells me, "Most of the mothers there are rather pushy. Why shouldn't they be, when they are spending such a vast amount of money on their children's education? Carole Middleton was no more or less so than the rest."

After leaving St Andrews, Kate was employed by the fashion label Jigsaw, working four days a week as an accessories buyer. Oddly for one so hunted by the paparazzi, she has also expressed interest in being a professional photographer. But Kate's apparent reluctance to settle down into a career while she hangs around waiting for Prince William to propose has earned her the nickname "Waity Katy".

It's practically impossible for Kate to get a job in the same way most girls of our age would (I, too, am in my mid twenties). The general opinion is that she should do charity work, but royal aides are reluctant; they don't want to encourage comparisons with Diana.

In fact, her ability to wait might turn out to be an advantage. Royal life has always been a waiting game – after all, Prince Charles has spent the last 60 years waiting to become king. And as a friend of mine says, "Why should they have to get married immediately just because he's a Royal?"

She has perfected the quiet and demure routine. A friend who frequents Mahiki nightclub in London says, "She used to be famous for not getting drunk and always applying make-up before leaving clubs." Her strategy is a strong one. When we think of Kate Middleton, she's just an image. We don't know any of her opinions, and we've never heard her voice. We've heard a lot of gossip about her, but have no real insight into her character.

While Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana wanted to be celebrities, this generation of royals longs for nothing more than to be normal. Kate's jolliness and optimism are another bonus. "She even signs off her work emails with a kiss!" said one contemporary.

The news last year that Prince William was to begin training in January, with a view to joining the RAF Search and Rescue division, came as a shock to many Royal observers. He'll have to spend 18 months in training, and it was reported that this would be followed by a compulsory seven years of service. But Miguel Head, press secretary to Princes William and Harry, tells me: "That is nonsense. Most officers spend around 30 to 36 months in the Search and Rescue division once they have completed their training."

People feared that this might spell the end for William and Kate's relationship, but it is in fact exactly what they need. If they get married during his time with the RAF, she will be able to live with him in barracks, or nearby, which may give them the normality they crave.

Ian Jones, a royal photographer for The Daily Telegraph, agreed that it could be the perfect move for the couple. "It's a worthwhile job that would give William a huge sense of purpose and wellbeing," he said. It is certainly a traditional role for the heir to the throne – Prince Charles did much the same thing.

Not everyone is complimentary about Prince William, however. "He's hardly the brightest bloke around. If he wasn't who he is, he'd be hard pressed to get a job at Foxtons [estate agents]," said one acquaintance. A school friend also stated: "William's a great bloke, but he does occasionally like to play king." But luckily most people agree on what a grounded and decent young man he is.

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers told me: "If you were to draw up an ideal heir to the throne, Prince William is pretty much exactly what you'd come up with." When it comes to the wives of heirs to thrones, it looks as if – fingers crossed – we can say the same about Kate Middleton.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/4375865/Kate-Middleton-could-the-wait-be-over-at-last.html

How weird is this? Kate Middleton dressed up as Cheryl Cole on her hen night and sang Fight For This Love


Glammed-up Kate was decked out in a body suit, a pair of split trousers, and a cute peaked hat to imitate Cheryl’s get-up



How Kate Middleton may have looked on hen party (Image: Mirror composite)

ByAshleigh RainbirdDiary Editor

00:00, 12 Oct 2012UPDATED00:14, 12 Oct 2012

How about this for an ominous sentiment just before a marriage?

On her hen do, Kate Middleton vowed to Fight For This Love when she dressed up and performed as Cheryl Cole.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore military-themed clothes in a homage to the Girls Aloud star as she said goodbye to singledom (and normality) and prepared to tie the knot with Prince William.

Glammed-up Kate, 30, was decked out in a body suit, a pair of split trousers, and a cute peaked hat to imitate Cheryl’s get-up.

And what’s more, Wills, also 30, thinks Kate gave Cheryl, a run for her money.

Backstage at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert in June, cheeky William asked Chez, 29: “Did you know you’ve got a bit of competition?”

He and Kate then began giggling as the duchess admitted performing Fight For This Love, Cheryl’s No.1 from 2009.

“She even learned the dance routine and was step perfect by all accounts,” reveals Cheryl.

“I could just imagine her and it was so surreal.”

Kate’s sister Pippa also commended her moves during the bash at the home of a close friend on the same weekend as Wills’ stag in March last year.

Just a few pals attended Kate’s low-key do, including Holly Branson and Olivia Bleasdale.

Cheryl is getting used to having royal admirers. Her charity, The Cheryl Cole Foundation, is part of The Prince’s Trust, founded by Prince Charles.

And Chez has had more than a few encounters with Prince Harry, who she described as a “hot ginger” and even had dreams about.

Cheryl first met Harry, 28, backstage at The X Factor when the Prince and his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy were in show supremo Simon Cowell’s dressing room.

And Harry was clearly having a great time as he relaxed on the night that he and Chelsy joined the audience for the ITV programme.

Cheryl says in her autobiography: “I walked in and the scene was mental.

"There were women partying everywhere and Simon was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“Prince Harry was lying on the dressing room floor, with his top buttons undone, relaxing with a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other.”

Given what we now know about raver Harry, it’s a surprise he had a shirt on at all.


www.mirror.co.uk/3am/weird-celeb-news/kate-middleton-dressed-as-cheryl-cole-1373912

Beaming Kate Middleton visits parents... but smiles unease at family feud which means relatives won't be invited to Royal wedding

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1331256/Kate-Middleton-family-feud-means-relatives-wont-Royal-wedding-invites.html

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:46 AM on 20th November 2010

Pictured: The remote Kenyan hut where Prince William proposed to Kate

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 8: AM on 20th November 2010

Kate: Break was 'so romantic' and a 'wonderful 24 hours'

Prince William asked his long-term girlfriend to marry him in an isolated log cabin miles off from the beaten track.

The pair were enjoying a 24-hour stop over at the spartan Rutundu Log Cabins during their Kenyan holiday when the Prince popped the question.

Far from the opulence of the Royal residences back home, the cabin does not even have electricity and guests are advised to bring all their own food and drink.




No mod cons: The Rutundu Log Cabin in Kenya, where Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton



Snug: The pair spent their first night as an engaged couple in a four-poster bed carved from local trees



So romantic: The newly engaged pair appeared on TV this week to officially discuss their engagement and show off the ring - once worn by William's late mother, Princess Diana



But the simple surroundings did nothing to dissuade the Prince from slipping his mother’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring onto his sweetheart’s finger.

The 28-year-old groom-to-be asked Kate to be his wife on the veranda of their cabin, The Sun reported.

The pair then enjoyed a bottle of champagne – kept cool in the outdoor ‘fridge’ – a wooden cupboard, before tucking into a meal prepared by the resort staff.

Before retiring to their four-poster bed, the pair are said to have snuggled happily in front of a roaring fire.

Accessible only by air, horseback, or via a 15km walk from the nearest road, the estate is a favourite hideaway for the Prince, who first visited it two years ago.

Surrounded by elephant, hyena, buffalo and leopard, the isolated spot is also famed for its trout fishing at both Lake Rutundu and Lake Alice.

A source said: ‘Short of being inside the SAS’s base at Hereford, this is the safest place in the world for William.

‘It is the one place he can be himself. And he does not have to be guarded because the wildlife there are his guardians.’

The newly engaged pair are even said to be considering having their honeymoon at the rustic bolthole.

On their departure, dated October 21, the happy couple signed the Rutundu guest book, with William declaring: ‘Such fun to be back!

'Looked after so well. Thank you guys! Look forward to next time, soon I hope.’

Meanwhile Kate described their stay as ‘so romantic’ and thanked staff for a ‘wonderful 24 hours’.


Loo with a view: The bathroom features a tub set into a wood panel and an enamel toilet standing over a cesspit

This week the couple discussed the proposal for the first time on screen with ITV's Tom Bradby.

The Prince said: 'We had been talking about marriage for a while so it wasn’t a massively big surprise. I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya and I proposed.'

Kate added: 'It was very romantic. There’s a true romantic in there. I really didn’t expect it. It was a total shock... and very exciting.'

William also revealed he had been carrying is mother's £28,500 engagement ring around in a rucksack for the duration of their three week holiday.


Remote: The cabins are accessible only by air, horseback, or via a 15km trek through an area teeming with wildlife

He said: 'I literally would not let it go. Everywhere I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing, if it disappeared I would be in a lot of trouble and because I’d planned it, it went fine.

'You hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong it went really, really well and I was really pleased she said yes.

'It’s my mother’s engagement ring so I thought it was quite nice because obviously she’s not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all – this was my way of keeping her close to it all.'


They'll be back: The couple are said to be considering returning to the spot for their honeymoon

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1331191/Prince-William-proposed-Kate-Middleton-remote-Kenyan-hut.html

Who will William choose for his 'supporter'? Prince Harry and Van Cutsem brothers lead race

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330925/Who-William-choose-supporter-Prince-Harry-Van-Cutsem-brothers-lead-race.html

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

UPDATED: 04:36 EST, 19 November 2010

Fancy seeing you here! Friends' surprise as Kate and Wills attend wedding together after getting used to seeing Prince on his own - and just look at what she's missed


www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3199556/William-misses-Catherine-Prince-cut-social-life-father-does-leaves-wife-home.html

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at friends' wedding on Saturday in Devon

But many of their circle were surprised to see the couple together at all

Kate has barely been seen at social events since the birth of Prince George

Now friends rarely see William, who stays at home with his young family


By CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

PUBLISHED: 17:53 EST, 15 August 2015 | UPDATED: 03:12 EST, 16 August 2015

The end of the 'Kate effect': Queen counts the cost after rise in visitors to palaces sparked by royal wedding comes to an end


www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3184541/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Queen-counts-cost-Kate-effect-evaporates.html

By SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 19:11 EST, 3 August 2015 | UPDATED: 16:41 EST, 4 August 2015

There's no Pippa fling, says '100 per cent single' Prince Harry


www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2008197/Theres-Pippa-Middleton-fling-says-100-cent-single-Prince-Harry-Royal-family.html

By KATIE NICHOLL FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

UPDATED: 22:37 EST, 25 June 2011

Why the United Nations can't have Duchess Kate as their new Diana


www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2052371/Why-United-Nations-Kate-Middleton-new-Princess-Diana.html

By KATIE NICHOLL FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

UPDATED: 10:14 EST, 23 October 2011

Pippa's sure to be a hit with the Royals at Christmas


www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2069690/Pippa-Middletons-sure-hit-Royals-Christmas.html

By KATIE NICHOLL FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

UPDATED: 19:55 EST, 3 December 2011