Carole Middleton has been seen at her daughter's side during many royal appearances over the years and has been credited by her son-in-law, Prince William, for warmly welcoming him into their family.
As well as being a great source of stability for the family, she has been praised for the essential part she plays in Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' lives.
Despite her humble beginnings, Carole started to work as an air hostess for British Airways and after meeting husband Michael Middleton and having their three children, Carole's life took an exciting turn.
Using her entrepreneurial flair, the mum-of-three launched Party Pieces in 1987, a company that began by making party bags and now sells party supplies and decorations by mail order.
As the business went from strength to strength, Michael Middleton left his job and came on-board to help grow it even further. Incredibly, the company is now worth an estimated $40 million and revealed an exciting US-based change which will pave the way for even greater plans.
After reports in early 2021 that Carole Middleton's Party Pieces empire had suffered significant losses during the pandemic, any fears that the business was facing long-term troubles were silenced when an exciting announcement was made.
According to the business's Instagram account, Carole has plans to take the business global as she revealed she is launching in the US.
This marks the brand's first retail partnership outside of the UK and it's the beginning of 'larger expansion plans' across the pond.
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Carole spent time visiting several stores across the States at the end of last year where she was pictured viewing her products on the shelves.
In a message at the time, Carole said: "It's very exciting to see our Party Pieces Collection expanding into the US starting with Saker ShopRites, a leading retailer in New Jersey and family-owned business with a long history of commitment to the customers and communities its stores serve."
President and CEO of Saker ShopRite, Richard Saker, added: "We are thrilled to be the first US retail partner for British heritage brand Party Pieces.
"We know our customers are coming together again to mark special occasions in their lives and they want to make their parties spectacular."
Inspiration for Party Pieces was said to have come from when Carole began organising the Princess of Wales’s fifth birthday party in 1987.
The entrepreneur wanted to “create imaginative parties for her children” and realised there was a gap in the market for personal party products.
Within three years of the launch, the successful company moved to its current premises at Child’s Court Farm in Berkshire and now employs 40 people and sends out 4,000 orders a week.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Carole Middleton explained that Kate and Pippa helped out a lot with Party Pieces over the years.
She revealed: "They did a lot of modelling. The [Princess] was on the cover of one of the catalogues, blowing out candles.
“Later on, she did some styling and set up the First Birthday side of the business. Pippa did the blog. I still value their ideas and opinions."
