The Carole Middleton Quote About Family That Is Especially Tragic Now

One of the many things that made William, Prince of Wales, fall in love with Catherine, Princess of Wales, was her "normal" home life. William was immediately welcomed into the fold with open arms and soon found himself enjoying family vacays in Mustique and group skiing adventures. He became part of the Middleton clan, which sticks together through thick and thin. This makes a quote Carole Middleton once said about family appear so tragic now.

Carole gushed about how much she loves being a mom of two girls and a boy and a grandma to seven in a December 2018 interview with The Telegraph. She admitted she would have loved having "five or six [kids if I] could." Still, she's undoubtedly content enough with mothering the brood she has. "I love it. I'm definitely hands-on. I don't find it complicated. My biggest fear [as my children grew up] was that I'd lose my family, but we've stayed close," Carole shared. This statement made all the more poignant by the recent news of her daughter Kate's cancer diagnosis.

The Middletons prefer to live a private life. In April 2011, they protested about harassment to the Press Complaints Commission. However, they're willing to step into the spotlight to support Kate as she continues treatment. Kate's brother, James Middleton, posted an adorable childhood photo on Instagram in March 2024. "Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too," he captioned the pic.

Since William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales' wedding in April 2011, William has become an integral part of the Middleton family. According to the Daily Mail, he's become especially close to Carole Middleton, on whom he's been leaning heavily since Kate's cancer diagnosis.

Carole is believed to have moved into Anmer Hall, William and Kate's Norfolk estate, over Easter and was apparently spotted enjoying a pint or two in the local pub with William one night. Carole is supposedly like a surrogate mom to William after his mother, Princess Diana, died in August 1997 in a car crash at age 36. Carole is fiercely protective of her son-in-law, and most importantly, perhaps, she treats William as a regular person rather than a member of "The Firm" who must always be aware of strict protocols and regimes.

"Carole relieved William of such burdens by accepting him for who he was rather than what he was," royal biographer Angela Levin told Fabulous magazine (via The Sun). "She made him feel secure, comfortable, and protected, and he didn't have to worry about what he said or be responsible for her emotions." Meanwhile, Christopher Andersen told Fox News that William is able to be his authentic self and express his true feelings when he's at home with the Middletons. "In many ways, he is closer to [Kate's father, Michael], and Carole Middleton than he ever was with his own father," Anderson claimed.

When news broke that William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales were marrying, the tabloids went into a frenzy. Their main line was that despite Kate's family being worth a relative fortune, she was a "nobody" in snobby noble circles. The red tops ratcheted it up a notch upon discovering Kate's mother, Carole Middleton, used to be a flight attendant. The Daily Mail dubbed her "doors to manual." It consistently referred to her past, even though Carole went on to launch a hugely successful mail-order party supply company in 1987. She became the punchline of many a joke and was accused of being a Kris Jenner-esque social climber, desperate to marry her daughter off to royalty,

However, Carole is undoubtedly a devoted mom and grandmother — and she's keen to remind everybody that Kate isn't her only child. "I have two other children and grandchildren and my job, and I lead a lot of my life round here, where I've lived for years, and people knew me before Catherine's... impact," she told The Telegraph in December 2018. "It isn't normal maybe to go to Louis' christening or Catherine's wedding, but, in the end, they're all family events."

Meanwhile, despite not speaking publicly about her daughter's health woes, the Middleton matriarch is credited for rallying the family during their troubled times. "Carole has been the driving force keeping the family together with minimum fuss and maximum modesty," a source told The Independent.