As a grandmother to seven children, Carole Middleton's grandkids must keep her busy.
Kate Middleton's mother Carole Middleton generally keeps a low profile, and we rarely see her pictured with the rest of the family, but that doesn't mean she's not a doting grandparent. With three children herself – Catherine, Pippa and James – dotted around the UK, we imagine grandmother's duties can be rather busy for Carole.
Carole Middleton isn't a big sharer on social media, mainly communicating with the public through her business, Party Pieces, but she's said to have been 'indispensable' when it comes to helping her daughter Catherine with her three children while the Princess has been recovering from abdominal surgery. This is everything we know about Carole Middleton's grandchildren, as well as what she's like as a grandmother (whether it's gran, granny or grandma is yet to be confirmed!)
Who are Carole Middleton's grandchildren?
Carole Middleton has seven grandchildren in total – her daughter Kate Middleton's three children (Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Wales), Pippa's three children (Arthur Michael, Grace Elizabeth Jane and Rose Matthews) as well James' son, Inigo.
It's thought that the Middletons are very involved with their grandchildren, living in Bucklebury, Berkshire – just a short car journey away from the Prince and Princess of Wales' home in Windsor.
Carole has previously spoken with The Telegraph (via Hello!) about how important her family are to her. The business owner said in an interview, "My family are paramount. They come first and that will always be the case, even when I have more 'me time'."
Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty magazine, agreed, telling Hello!, "The Middletons are a really close family. Carole is a very hands-on grandmother, and I'm sure she will be at the helm. She often picks the kids up from school. Pippa has children of her own now, but I'm sure she will help by offering to have the kids round for tea and that kind of thing."
While, naturally, Prince William and Princess Catherine's children George, Charlotte and Louis are very much in the limelight, Carole sometimes gives special nods to her other grandchildren who are less in the public eye from time to time.
After her youngest child Pippa's baby girl Rose was born, Carole shared a picture of her new collection, seemingly named after her youngest grandchild. She captioned the picture, 'A Very English Rose is the perfect collection for all occasions this spring. We think it is perfect for a baby shower with the floral design and rose gold accessories.'
Experts have previously suggested that Carole is a "hands-on grandmother" Jo Mitchelhill, a parenting expert who specialises in the role grandparents play in children's development, told Express.co.uk, "I think Carole is a hands-on grandmother. It is clear to see in pictures how much she loves and adores the children and they her.
"I would imagine that she would do 'normal' grannie things with them, like bake cakes, make daisy chains and play games with them, but bedtime routines might be a little bit more relaxed. For instance, she may let the children have a few more minutes of nanna cuddles. And possibly an extra scoop of ice cream with chocolate sauce!"
