The Prince and Princess of Wales have faced so many difficult moments head-on together over the years, though sometimes they are in need of a little additional support. When the late Queen Elizabeth passed away in Scotland in September 2022, many expected Kate to travel with William to Balmoral to say a final goodbye in private and join the new King Charles.
However, the mum-of-three defied these expectations and remained at home in Berkshire, as this was also Prince George, Charlotte and Louis’s first day at their new school. Writing in his new book, William & Catherine, royal author Russell Myers claims that Kate called her mum Carole Middleton to be there when the kids got home.
"Catherine called her mother, Carole, and asked her to come over to their Adelaide Cottage home to provide extra support for the children when they returned home from school," he alleges. "After picking them up herself and excitedly finding out about their first day, Catherine delivered the sad news that their beloved "Gan-Gan" had passed away peacefully."
A courtier described the decision for the Princess to stay in Windsor with the children as "the right one for their family". Having Carole there was likely not only a huge source of comfort for George, Charlotte and Louis, but Kate, who not only had to break the devastating news to her children but was also mourning the Queen herself.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward has previously explained how Carole had "always been a rock" for her daughter and reflected on what she was like in person, the "couple of times" she’s met her.
"The word that keeps coming back to me is 'strength'," Ingrid said. "I imagine her as a sort of pioneer woman driving a wagon with a rifle at her feet, and three children in the back, fighting off any enemy. Basically, that's what she's been doing all her life, isn't it?"
The Middletons live close by to the Wales family and Ingrid added that "Carole is a really helpful, practical and unflappable mum and grandmother". When Kate was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, Prince William paused his own royal duties to be there for her and when he resumed them, the expert feels that his mother-in-law threw herself into helping out even more.
Ingrid claimed, "Rather than ask what she can do, she just gets on with it; she’s very proactive. When William went back to royal duties, she was doing the school run and probably doing things like filling the freezer with the kids' favourite foods."
Carole Middleton is a source of immense "strength" and support for her family through thick and thin, and it’s perhaps no surprise that Kate apparently asked her to come over when Queen Elizabeth died. Carole and her husband Michael went on to attend the late monarch’s funeral and in 2023, they were at King Charles’s coronation.
In the past Carole was also spotted being driven by Queen Elizabeth in Scotland and was hosted by King Charles at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate. It’s clear she and Michael have been welcomed with open arms by the Royal Family, and their inclusion in royal occasions is likely important to both Kate and William, as well as their three children.
