Duchess Kate has a dodgy uncle. His name is Gary Goldsmith, and he’s Carole Middleton’s brother. Uncle Gary lives in “The Maison de Bang Bang” and he has a sordid history with hookers, blow, and something resembling “pimping” (although many claim he “just throws good parties”). It’s not like Good Time Gary is the black sheep of the family either – Kate and Prince William used to visit the Maison de Bang Bang while they were dating, and Gary was invited to the royal wedding and all of that. I have a conspiracy theory involving Uncle Gary – I think he got most of his money from illicit means, and I think Gary’s ill-gotten gains were the way that the Middletons were able to afford their luxurious lifestyle. Uncle Gary pretty much funded Kate’s “waity” lifestyle, at least in my conspiracy theory.
Anyway, since the wedding, Gary has slowly but surely becoming a more public figure. I’m not sure if it’s part of the Middleton family’s concerted PR campaign or if Uncle Gary simply won’t shut up. All I know is that Gary is terribly gauche and whenever he opens his mouth, Kate and her family look like a pack of grifters who just made the biggest score of their lives. Here’s Gary’s new interview in The Sun:
OTHER relatives of Kate and Wills might be fretting over what to buy the royal baby – but not Uncle Gary. He knows exactly what to give his niece’s firstborn, due next month.
Laughing, he reveals: “I’m going to get exactly what I get for all my mates’ babies. As a die-hard Chelsea fan, I always get the baby Chelsea shares. Then, when it’s a bit older, I get it a full tiny Chelsea strip. It’s brilliant, it drives the parents mad. I love turning their kid into a true blue Chelsea fan. And Prince William is an Aston Villa fan. I thought it could be hilarious.”
Gary Goldsmith — or “Uncle G” as the Duchess of Cambridge, her sister Pippa and brother James know him — isn’t joking.
He insists: “I mean, what on earth can you get for a baby like theirs? That baby is going to have everything it could ever want. So Chelsea shares are perfect. I think William will find it funny. I would hope to be at the christening, but I’m sure I won’t be a godfather!”
Gary, 48, is Carole Middleton’s younger brother by ten years. He has always been close to his sister and her family.
He reveals: “I absolutely dote on Pip, James and Kate. I remember when Carole brought Kate home as a baby. She was a tiny little thing, really delicate. When Carole gave her to me I was terrified. I was only 16 and I was like, ‘What do I do?’ I’ve always been Uncle G to the kids. I love my title, the King of Fun — that’s what I’ve been to them. I’m the one who’s always played games, made them laugh.”
“I was so proud at the wedding. I watched Kate walk up the aisle and I was remembering her as that tiny baby in my arms. There was ‘little Kate’ on her way to wed Prince William. It was quite surreal.”
Despite his royal connections, multi-millionaire Gary is proud of his “humble” roots and that he is “new money”. He built up a recruitment business which he sold for £275million in 2005. At one time he owned mansions, yachts and supercars, but he has given most of that up.
Reclining in his seat at his private members’ club in central London, he explains: “I didn’t want to be that guy driving round in a Ferrari and everyone thinking, ‘You’re too old to drive that, give it to your son’.”
He and Carole started life in a council house in Hounslow, west London. Mum Dot and dad Ron instilled a strong work ethic in both their children.
Gary says: “My parents both had two jobs. Dad was a painter and decorator and also drove a van. My mum worked in a shop and did accounts for a firm. Mum was very aspirational, she wanted us to be successful in life. She was over the moon when Carole became an air hostess for British Airways. To mum, Kate’s relationship with William was like all her Christmases had come at once. We are from such humble stock and then here is her granddaughter dating Prince William. She was so proud. When I was stood in the Abbey I was thinking, ‘Oh God, Mum would have loved this’. Both my parents would have.”
In 2009, he invited some people he had met in Ibiza in 2009 back to his villa — the infamous Maison De Bang Bang. They turned out to be undercover reporters for the News of the World. Gary was filmed laying out a line of cocaine and boasting about his royal ties.
He says: “I was at the lowest point in my life — and paid the price. But it provided a massive wake-up call to get my life back in order.”
Sister Carole was one of the first people to call him after the story broke.
He says: “She was incredibly supportive and told me, ‘The whole family are really sorry for what has happened to you, especially Kate’. The family were brilliant and got me through the worst moment in my life. People wrongly speculated that I wasn’t going to be invited to the Royal Wedding. In fact, Kate and William’s wedding happened on my birthday, and by attending the ceremony at Westminster Abbey and then the reception at Buckingham Palace it proved to be the greatest present they could have ever given me. We have always been a very close family. I am so looking forward to the arrival of Kate’s first baby. We all are.”
See? It’s not that he’s an awful person or anything, he’s just kind of shady and peasant-y. And I’m sorry, he’s worth £275 million? God, I would love to know more about Uncle Gary’s finances and the finances of the Middletons. At this point, it would be hard to convince me that Party Pieces wasn’t just some money-laundering scheme for Gary. Oh, and Gary has been divorced three times. He’s on his fourth wife. And he will be in Prince William’s life for a LONG time.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I kind of prefer him to the Middletons. I’d take Uncle Gary’s words of wisdom over Pippa tips any day of the week.
‘When one is pregnant, it helps to buy slightly larger clothing in order to accommodate one’s growing baby bump’.
#Pippatips
Exactly. Uncle Gary would have her in a t-shirt that says “Bun in the oven” and a downward pointing arrow. Team Uncle Gary!!
You should actually tell that to Kate, from what I’ve seen she has just altered normal clothes- no maternity clothes for the royal clothes horse! 🙂
Yes, Uncle Gary sounds like a lot of fun – mostly the semi-legal or illegal type. But I sure wish he had been my uncle. Together we would have drive my parents crazy when I was younger!! “But Uncle Gary said it was OK to do this, Mom! And I couldn’t say no to him since he is paying for me to get a PhD at Oxford!”. Still he sounds like he really loves Kate and her family and that’s fine with me. Just keep him away from Prince Harry as the two of them together could bring an end to the British monarchy in one night!!!
Completely agree…. and, well, if he did get his money from illicit sources, then that gives him something in common with many of the royals!
I’d bet also that he’s not the only shady character William has contacts with.
I like him too, T.fanty. He’s honest which is refreshing in this PR driven fantasy.
I do think he’s funded Carole, and if he’s worth 250 million or so, they can’t afford to black ball him, can they? They might need more money in the future. It’s tough to Keep Up With The Royals. (Great reality show idea, though.)
The most damning evidence that he funds the lavish lifestyle is the fact that he keeps talking, blabbering, gossiping, whatever… but without any recourse or reproach from his elder sister. This is Carole, who micromanaged her daughters social networks aiming for the highest prize, never setting a foot astray. If Gary wasn’t the money behind the operation, he would’ve been forcibly shut up or ostracized long long long ago.
You and I think alike, Thinker. Carole would snub anyone who got in the way of Kate. The fact that he isn’t says a lot.
At least I think so. People have been sent into social oblivion for a lot less.
Agreed bluhare!! See: Sarah Ferguson’s very public Royal Wedding snub.
bluhare…
ITA w/ you. If you’re a non-fan of the Middletons’ pretentious behavior, you simply have to adore Gary. He shines a light on pretty much everything his family doesn’t want you to know about their origins. *snicker* That aside, he sounds like a really fun relative to have. I want an Uncle Bang Bang of my very own!
nc magnolia: I think that’s it. The rest are trying so hard to move up, and then he comes in and starts talking. Someone downthread said the Queen was face palming reading the interview; wonder if Carole Middleton was too!
Bluhare- Just pictured the Queen facepalming. “One does not simply facepalm. One makes sure ones palm reaches clear to the wall behind you.” Comedy gold!
Love, love, love that mean photo of Kate!!!
And notice how she ALWAYS looks at Harry with a grin!
he trafficks underage girls. Sex trafficking is never cool
Sorry I don’t get the conspiracy theory at all. If uncle Gary was soo shady, and dangerous don’t you think The Firm would have Kate done years ago???
Why can’t someone be rich thanks to his work?
If Huge Hefner is rich thanks to boob-magazine, why can’t the Middleton be rich thanks to party pieces?
The Firm knows every single hair follicle in the Middletons’ and Uncle G. They’d have known about his drug dealings. They’d have known that he was never going to be that ‘discreet’ type of guy, there was always that risk that he would turn around and blab his mouth to the press. They should have put their foot down before the Middletons got the chance to ride the gravy train 2 years ago.
I see no conspiracy theory with how he made his money (computer tech stuff) but he seems to have bankrolled the Middletons’ social-climbing lifestyle. There’s no way they could have kept up with the Joneses with only PP for profit.
Agreed. I think if this was something massively illegal (coke parties don’t count – they are practically par for the course for the jet set), the Firm wouldnt have allowed the liaison to continue.
GoodCapon, I agree with you. But I don’t think that Gary will/would blab too much. He gets perks by being Kate’s uncle, I’d think. He’d be absolutely stupid to sell sister and niece out; he’d be ostracised like James Hewitt.
I do think he needed more outlets for the cocaine money than Carole, and bet it was seed money for the business he sold, which also gave him entre as a “businessman”. Pure conjecture here but it sounds plausible to me. I like the guy. He sounds like he’s a charmer who can be a right a#*hole at times.
@ bluhare
Surprisingly, drug dealers make very little money. And because its illicit cash, it’s very difficult to hold on to. Read: Freakonomics for more info…
I think Gary earned his money on the up and up, by selling that tech business. 275£ M is a massive Mount of wealth. The thing is, he probably hasn’t paid any British taxes on that income because he’s a resident of Ibiza (Spain) not the UK, and as a result can probably only spend a limited amount of time and money in the UK. Technically, this is all legal. However, ethically a lot of hardworking taxpayers would be frustrated to know that the UK gov allows wealthy business sellers to avoid their tax liability by moving to one of these “tax haven” islands…
Thinker: He didn’t have that business all that long did he? And managed to build it to where it was worth 250 million? I dunno. Seems as suspicious as PP to me.
It could be, but the timing was right for that sort of company to be sold for big money. I don’t know that he could fabricate that sort of capital valuation without a legit company.
Keeping that in mind, I’ve never seen any legitimate valuation, only mere speculation that the Party Pieces Ltd is worth anything.
Thinker: I’m not saying I wonder if Gary’s company was legit. It was. It’s the seed money that I wonder about. Takes a lot of money to build an sell a company for that much, and drug money has to be washed.
You never partake of the product. Even I know this and I’ve never done anything stronger than VapoRub.
Agree^. I didn’t see anything all that offensive about what he said, either. He’s from humble beginnings, he made a great deal of money, he went nuts for a bit, then realized he was acting like an idiot and having a cliche midlife crisis, so he knocked all that off. His family supported him when he was at his lowest point. He’s proud of Kate. At least he’s not fake and trying to act as though he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Don’t get the sneering.
Well I don’t think mid life crisis would include pimping young virgin girls as he was recorded on camera offering to arrange fresh young stuff for the reporter.
Angelic 20: I didn’t know that. This is the first I’ve heard of him. Obviously, I completely agree with you if he abused young women in that way, or in any way, for that matter. I was just summarizing what I thought he was saying in his interview, and didn’t understand what was so gauche about it. But if you have such repulsive background knowledge about him, I can certainly see why anything he said would seem slimy.
It’s well known in Britain that he is involved in the sex trade of underaged brazilian girls.
Dreamory: Are you kidding me? Underage girls NOW? I take back everything I said about him.
But I can’t believe the Royals would let something like that go. Wouldn’t they have a dossier on the family?
This ties in with MY conspiracy theory as to why Willy held news of the engagement back from his family and the Queen until the very last possible second before he announced it publicly. He sort of had them all hogtied at that point.
I truly don’t think they ever expected he would marry her. They knew and he knew she was all sorts of wrong for the job. But Billy doesn’t like to be pressured, and I think he was getting leaned on hard, as the queen was getting up in years, to find a suitable girl ASAP.
Well, first of all, no “suitable” girls he wanted, wanted him, which must have stung. Second, he resented being pressured in the first place, so I think he made the sudden move to marry Kate as a *huge* FU to the entire BRF. And perhaps to Kate as well. You want me married? Fine, sorry, no suitable girls, so it’s going to have to be Kate. Nope, sorry, no time, I’ve already asked her and she’s accepted.
Kate you want to get married, fine, here’s a ring that might look familiar, now shut up and leave me be.
He doesn’t want the job, he doesn’t want the responsibility, he doesn’t particularly want her, he’s a spoiled beastly baby, and it’s just getting worse.
DVZ: you have quite a vivid and cynical imagination. Doesn’t make any of it true.
Sammi: dvz may not have it right but if we couldn’t speculate it wouldn’t be much fun to post would it?
Without endorsing any conspiracy theories i just want to say that there is a TV interview Harry gave a month before the wedding in which he briefly mentioned that they never expected William to marry.
He doesn’t go into the details, but you get the distinct impression that they thought William would remain the eternal bachelor or at least remain single for many years longer.
He also says in the same interview that he is looking forward to getting to know Kate. Which puts a major spanner in the works of people who believe Harry must have been close to or even approved Kate since WK dated for so many years.
+1
I approve this message.
@dvz – I agree with you. I think you’re theory has some real weight to it.
dvz
Your theory makes a lot of sense. Especially why William held back from telling his grandmother until hours before the official announcement. Seems weird and disconnected at the very least.
The part about William marrying Kate as a slight fu that he’s settling on her as a last resort might have been intended to be an insult, but she seems as happy as a pig in mud. Ditto for her family. And he seems truly happy with her family. My own theory to that is William prefers the Midds because they treat him like gold and his own family treats him as an equal at best. For someone with an ego this is no contest.
And W&K truly seemed to be loving newlyweds during their Canada tour. Things went south or back to normal shortly after that though.
Ottawa Is For Lovers!
THIS! TOTALLY! I agree with DVZ, as it has been whispered that Kate was such a last choice for the ring! There is a particularly virulent rumour underground that William wanted Jecca Craig badly and made a last ditch attempt to score an engagement with her and that is why he was in Africa with Kate tagging along like the limpet she is, but Jecca declined and then, in frustration, Wills gave the ring to Kate – at Jecca’s place in Africa! Which decent self respecting woman accepts a proposal from an undecided lover in an ex girlfriends house with a second hand ring? Wills is wrong! Kate is wrong and the whole situation is tawdry!
Mika
You seem to be mixing time lines. Jecca and Will probably had a thing going and for awhile there was that under the radar engagement joke, but some time into the 9 year relationship Kate wanted to be sure there was nothing between him and Jecca and came with him to her families home (estate?). Will was more infatuated with Isabella if reports are to be believed. Jecca’s family is well off to say the least and very into protecting wildlife. This is a passion shared by both of their families. To say they stayed at her house is to say they stayed on the same massive amount of acreage as her. I’m sure my details are fuzzy on her families business, but I’m going from memory here. Also, the press would have had a field day to print that Will took Waity Katie to Jecca’s house so she could watch him propose to Jecca. Doesn’t sound right.
The part that made me really want to comment on your comment though was the 2nd hand ring. Yes, it’s Diana’s ring, but how does that lessen a commitment in any way? It should be about his feelings. My husband proposed with my mother’s ring and I loved that. Not to mention many people marry without a ring at all so they can buy a house or raise children.
FLORC: I’m with you on the ring. I know somew people thought the ring was associated with bad things, but we all forget it was his mother’s ring. I thought it was sweet he did it. Although I don’t doubt it could be a self serving media ploy too.
Someone who knows more might come along and correct me, but wasn’t Jecca the one he “proposed” to while in his teens? Reading Mika’s take, it actually seemed plausible to me, but if even a smidge is true Kate needs to pool her money and buy some frickin’ PRIDE.
Bluhare
The teen engagement is mentioned in my post. He and Jecca spent a lot of time together and spent about a week or 2 letting everyone think they were engaged. This is either because they were and it just never happened or they were teens, fooling around, and it was funny to them. This all happened not long before Will started noticing Kate. In later articles this whole event is explained off as they were young and thought it would be funny to claim they were engaged. He did make frequent (Kate free) trips back to see Jecca while with Kate. I don’t doubt there was love there once or still.
What are Chelsea shares?
Stock shares in Chelsea Football Club.
Football is verging on religious status here in Blighty.
Verging? 😉
LOL GoodCapon! Verging indeed.
Chelsea shares are Chelsea football team (soccer to North Americans) shares. Football in the UK is considered low brow – unlike cricket, rugby, polo etc
God, you Brits put sport in classes too? Jesus.
Btw, go Bayern! 😀
Rugby is a sport you play at University – football is for commoners!
Eh, I’d have to disagree up to a point. Plenty of kids play rugby and there’s always a lot of TV coverage of the 6-Nations, Rugby World Cup and English & Irish Lions games when they’re on, so most people are introduced to the game before Uni nowadays.
Football is probably the one thing that transcends class boundaries, really. I went to a fee-paying school and plenty of people I knew were big football fans. (Although I did have this one teacher who was a right git; I remember him saying that “Rubgy is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen, and football is a gentlemen’s game playing by hooligans.”)
You sometimes get Daily Mail readers banging on about football hooliganism and how thuggish the sport has become, and to be fair, there have been a few incidents, and it’s one of the reasons I really dislike football culture. But, like most things, it’s the few that tarnish the reputation of the majority.
Honestly, I think the players do more damage to the sport than the fans. They’re a bunch of overpaid, underworked, coddled, little man-children.
Right. I’ve gone really off-topic now. Must stop procrastinating!!
Amelia – I remember when rugby was taught in public schools and football in state schools. And the two didn’t meet at all. Football was seen very much as the sport of commoners vs Rugby, the sport of gentlemen. Your teacher is coming from the generation that still has that mentality. Most people met the other sport for the first time at university since that is mixed in terms of student body.
i remember when Football was riddled with hooliganism, attending a football match was really hazardous. The fans were a reflection of the footballers and vice versa.
I remember distinctly the skeptical comments in the 90s about the oxymoron of ‘educated’ footballers when Chelsea, under Ruud Gillit, brought educated gentlemen footballers from Italy who enjoyed opera and had manners, who were papped buying broadsheet newspapers as opposed to The Sun. And lived in nice designer houses, wore designer clothes and drove nice cars.
That was the turning point. Serious money was invested in football, new and or improved stadiums were built, and the entire industry was made family friendly.
People like David Beckham came along at just the right time and embraced the new type of football lifestyle, and the whole perception of it changed.
These days people of all strips play and support football, and it is taught in public schools though a significant number of footballers still come from the state schools.
Also, rugby only became professional in the late 90s or early 00s, and sponsorship was frowned upon, so many rugby players had to have a job or background that supported their sporting hobby. Funny thing is once Rugby went professional, we haven’t played well.
LAK, I think my age and life experience (or lack thereof) is showing 😉
It’s a shame Mario Balotelli tarnishes the reputation of the Italian footballers you wrote of. He’s so childish, I just get the urge to send him to his room without dinner.
Amelia – You are wiser than your years. Age isn’t necessarily wisdom. To be fair, since i am from the older generation, i tend to favour rugby. Unless Brazil is playing.
That Mario person is so ridiculous, but not as disgusting as John Terry.
don’t be nasty !!
“Football in the UK is considerd low brow”.
That’s interesting. Over on this side, the kids who play (soccer) are the ones who have money. It was one of those signs that you were well off in my neck of the woods.
Same here TheyPromisedMeBeer!
Football here is played by the (upper) middle to upper class. I’ve observed that as one goes farther from living in a first-world country, football becomes more elite and a sport for the privileged.
Basketball transcends all class though.
Dear God, really? Round here the only sport that is a bit upper class is tennis, all the other sports are equal to everybody.
I think that might have been true but is no longer in general. However, football (not soccer) in most US states is still a zillion times more popular than soccer (and gets way more funding in most school districts).
In the US, rowing crew and lacrosse are most identified with elite private schools.
I am no defender of the Middletons’; but it was my understanding that Uncle Bang Bang had a legitimate business (as far as I can tell) which he sold for a huge sum of money. I believe I read that his business was some kind of employment agency, or something along those lines. I think the drugs, etc. came after.
They are still a tacky family that hit the jackpot, however. And I’m sure the palace cringes every time he opens his mouth. And, yes, I bet he has been bankrolling his family for years.
He seems awesome. I really like the fact that Kate has working class roots. It makes me like her a bit more.
Shame that the family’s work ethic didn’t pass on to the kids.
There isn’t anything working class about them at all… They’re definitely high upper middle class.
Carole and Gary were working class, no?
Not by British standards.
Really? Growing up in a council estate isn’t working class?
Growing up in a council estate is poverty.
I think it’s funny he wants to rib William with the Chelsea gifts. I can see why he was the Fun Uncle.
As for Middletons social climbing…come on, what grandma WOULDNT gush about her granddaughter marrying a prince! It’s a little non-PC but kind of endearing.
my grandmother almost died when i dated a gastroenterologist
for an actual prince with an actual country she has heard of, she’s need last rites
*smirks* Somewhere in the palace, Queen Elizabeth is reading this article and smacking her forehead against her hand.
Seriously, though, Uncle James is the gift that keeps on giving. He’s tacky as hell, but I appreciate that he’s honest about his humble beginning and doesn’t try to posh himself up, like Carole and Co with the ridiculous signet rings.
LOL, Faye. Great visual too!
Who knows what Queen E thinks about all this stuff anymore…. I mean she had to deal with all of Diana’s and Fergie’s shenanigans, Charles’ ‘tampon’ comments with Camilla, Prince Phillip’s ramblings, Harry’s escapades etc. etc. – she’s definitely seen a ton!
He sounds very tacky but at the same time I like him. He sounds quite warm and caring.
he’s definitely tickety tack but he seems nice and he has his own money
the queen has her share of formerly rich relatives that hang around hoping for anything they can get.
of the two, i’d pick uncle g
The way he is keeps on talking to media and William’s given contempt to anyone in his circle who talks to media,I think he is left out in the cold by him, Kate and Middleton family. Now he is just trying to get as much publicity as he can get.
The grandmother was over the moon with Kate dating William and people still say they are not social climbers…..
My thoughts exactly Angelic. How could anyone not call them social climbers after those statements?!
I love that they’re social climbers actually!
He’s just too cutsie evil.. shame on the old nasty.
If he was in America, he’d be praised for being a smart businessman…the Brits are so snobby.
So true! The man would be on the cover of Business Week or some other business magazine being praised for being smart. In America “new money” is just as legit as “old money.”
why do you have to insult an entire nation to praise someone. I think the fact that brits don’t like him it has to do with his shady life style….just find some videos of him.
Mslewis
America doesn’t have the same class system and as a result old money and new money does not mean the same thing between the 2 countries. It’s apples and Oranges. And sadly rich men are in fact praised in publications in America and our society is so dimwitted at times to trust the media only speaks truths if printed. There’s too much 1st hand accounts, video, photographs, lifestyle to make me think Gary isn’t always going to be the same sex slave, drug dealing uncle.
He doesn’t come off bad at all. Sounds like a “totally not into the hookers and blow anymore, nope not me” sort of thing.
I bought my godson (college) football toddler shirts from my/my best friend’s alma mater, so I have to give Gary a chalk point for that one.
Uncle G — our conduit to the unvarnished truth?
Uncle G sounds like fun to me. I had a fun uncle just like him. He was my mother’s younger brother and he was amazing. We all just loved him. It’s nice to have an Uncle G in your life when you’re a kid. I don’t think he’s “shady” I just think he’s a man who adores his family. I don’t see anything wrong in that interview.
I see nothing wrong in any of this. The man made a lot of money in the tech field (like a lot of people) and sold it for a sh!tload of money. Good for him. As for Party Pieces . . . yes you can make tons of money selling sh!tty little items. There is a company in the States called Dollar Tree where everything in it costs $1. The company is worth BILLIONS because there are people who need a place like that. Sometimes people just fill a need and make money doing it.
Mslewis
I’m starting to understand this now. On the surface Uncle Gary seems like a fun Uncle with money that isn’t stuffy and fake. If you scratch the surface, see videos of him selling young company to men and snorting illicit substances a new picture is painted. The article above is fine and seems like an uncle gushing about his soon to be born niece/nephew, but there isn’t much about Gary that seems on the up and up. And the fact that he keeps talking to the press when the Middleton’s are trying to hard to revamp their PR image is suspicious that Carole isn’t shutting these interviews down. When you look even closer the numbers of their businesses just don’t add up at all.
I’m sure the RF knows everything though and should a divorce occur the RF will slowly leak the damaging info to lessen sympathy for Kate and show her as dead weight with a criminal family.
Dollar tree has hundreds of stores across US. party Pieces is an online deal a lot smaller than Dollar Tree. You can’t really compare them…
Christinne
I love Dollar Tree! And they’re not just a party store even though you do get annual and holiday party items there. They sell, a large variety of items from kitchen to office, to cards, to bathroom items to non perishable foods. That is why they’re worth so much. They’re not just a party supply store. I got some great Beer mugs there once. Great quality and identical to $15 a piece and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Sometimes you find gems and all just for a dollar! +6.35%tax per dollar spent… Stupid CT!
PP has a high mark up and is only online. They get a bulk of business because of the royal connection. Aside from the given mark up from 1 cent per item bought in bulk and 2 dollars (guesstimating here) they could turn a tidy profit, but not build an empire on it without help…
And I love Poundland. I’m leaving England in a couple of days and I’ll be stocking up on candy at Poundland before I go. Not a snob in the place. 😉
Well, Dollar Tree didn’t start out with stores all over the country. They began with one store and built from there because that store made money. That’s what I’m saying. Party Pieces is just e-commerce now but they are making money because they are filling a need. And they were successful BEFORE Kate and Will married.
Bluhare
What’s Poundland? Please tell me that’s a store that sells candy by the pound! That would be awesome.
Mslewis
I get it. Stores start out small. It’s just that Party Pieces is still a bit of a mystery how the numbers really add up. Is Gary funneling money in? Are their products made in sweat shops? Did millions in profits only come from sales or cheap plastic or from selling consumer info. There isn’t much of a need for those items though that isn’t filled by places you can walk to and save on shipping. We’ll never know for sure because they will never open the books to that company and if someone does know William has publications locked down on negative Middleton articles.
FLORC: Easy mistake to make (I made it), but Poundland would translate to Dollarland. I felt like such an idiot when I finally got it. 🙂
Although there are places where you could buy candy by the pound. There’s a boiled sweet shop just down the streets. Lemon sherbets here I come!
Bluhare
Poundland, of course! Reading your post I felt a switch in my brain go from imperial measurements to metric, dollars to pounds. Makes total sense now. I’m in love with the idea of a candy store that sells by the pound that is not F A O Schwartz. I loath that place. And I’d like to buy my candy at whole sale prices when I buy in bulk.
smart guy! excellent PR tactic: I got caught doing lines of cocaine. i realize that was bad, i was doing bad. now i am all better. right!! maybe kate and will should hire him as head of PR team. like: I am sorry I got caught vacationing when I was supposed to do work. thank you paparazzi for opening my eyes. LOL
He’s a real crack-up!
-Rob Ford
I just got that, Jo ‘Mama’. I’m hanging my head in shame it took me so long.
OMG! I just saw that he said I am so sorry you for what happened to you….does he mean she was sorry for him getting caught? or sorry he had a hard time dealing w life at that point?
Well at least one in her family has a sense of humour.
I like his gift for the baby. What CAN one give to such baby indeed?
well well Kate has a promising bitch face going on in that one picture!
I’m sorry, are people here actually saying they like Uncle Gary and he seems warm and caring?
The man was a pimp, a drug dealer, and was caught on tape cutting cocaine.
I see nothing admirable about him. He is a sleaze and I doubt he’ll ever change. Everything he does is for PR and I think he’s up to another trick with his “I’m just an ordinary bloke who made a lot of money! I’m a reformed man!” act.
Such a nice thing, though, that the media’s whitewashing of the Middletons’ history has extended to Uncle Gary, and some people are gullible enough to eat it up and even describe him as “fun” and wish they had an Uncle just like him.
He wouldn’t be receiving such positive reviews if he weren’t swimming in cash. Money buys good press. Money buys friends. Money buys a lot these days.
Money buys a crown. 😀
Sachi
People have very short memories these days and if things aren’t repeated and are successfully whitewashed they are easily forgiven and reborn in their new image.
Another side is that people are so quick to defend the entire Middleton family and grab on to any news that sheds a positive light on them.
Have to agree on this. I’m just a bit of low-income bit of banality from the colonies, but this guy rivals Benedict IX in debauchery.
Sachi, I do think people can be less than ethical, and perhaps downright slimy, but they have something in them that makes people like them in spite of it all. Gary’s one of them. I know all about his escapades, but he’s got a cheeky charm. One of these people who’s fun to be around, but not to be trusted too far.
Uncle Gary’s talkativeness makes me wish Carole Middleton would grant an interview. Of all the Middletons, I find her to be the most fascinating. I actually think her rags to riches story, from childhood in a council flat to Signet Ring, Manor House and a plot that puts her daughter on the throne would be amazingly juicy fodder for a modern day Jane Austen tale.
They are in fact and by deed a family of grifters and opportunists. But they succeeded, so what is done is done.
The only difference between Kate’s Uncle Gary and a not insignificant number of William’s relatives/ancestors is that the royal family has had centuries of practice keeping the sleazier members of the family on the down-low….
Completely agree!
Compared to the famewhorey ways of his sister and niece/nephew, Uncle G is rather harmless. If you forget the whole drug dealing past…
That was a great interview. He comes off quite well, at least to us gauche Americans.
May I highjack the thread for a minute and ask if anyone knows what’s going on with the Duke of Edinburgh? I think it’s his birthday today too.
He had an operation on Friday and is said to be doing well. He will probably be in hospital for a while and no engagements for a few months. The queen herself said that he is not sick and it wasnt an emergency operation. And yes, he turns 92 today!
Thank you, m. I had heard he was hospitalized and at 92 that’s not a small thing. I thought he didn’t look well at the church service last week.
In all honesty I think he is a fun guy who likes to have fun. He is a smooth talker. I wouldn’t want anything to do it him. Bet you he finances Midds like style. And when the right time comes will get to hear about it from the British press.
yuck!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCdIHl8MJZc
Keeping this 100% about Gary and no Midds at all…
He’s horrible. I don’t believe for a moment that he will ever stop this behavior. Rock bottom will never touch this man and Cocaine is not the kind of drug you quit because you get tired of it. Especially when you have money and on some level enough protection to be busted on tape so openly selling drugs and still be a free man.
Now as an outside perspective.. If anyone went to this man’s house and partied there… I bet they did cocaine. I tried it during my undergrad years. It’s fun and if it’s around and you’re in a safe place people are doing it.
The Royal Family is used to there always being a few shady members of the family running around. I shouldn’t think they were too thrown by Uncle G.
Who cares about Uncle Nobody? I’m chomping at the bit to see the recent Kate photos that are appearing everywhere else — where she’s out shopping with one of her minions, wearing a blue dress and flipping the bird at the paps.
And a cheap blue dress at that. 😀
Didn’t see the bird flipping though. And if she did she’s a flipping idiot. Did she not know the scrutiny she’d be under when she accepted his proposal? Did she think he was lying to her when he said he took his time because he wanted to make sure she could handle it? Has she not looked at photos of Diana? I don’t get it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2338423/Kate-Middleton-pregnant-Duchess-Cambridge-pops-minute-shopping-interiors-specialist.html
She often flicks out her middle finger. It’s either a subtle fu or an unintended gesture.
I truly thought she wasn’t wearing maternity clothes so she could be praised for rewearing what she wore during her pregnancy and as a result, saving money. Guess not since she’s always shopping.
I saw the article and photos, FLORC . . . but I don’t see bird flipping. Do I need to go to the optometrist?
Bluhare
No your eyes are fine. Her hand is extending her middle finger out more than the others. She did the same thing during her portrait unveiling if you can remember or care to look up the article. She brought her hand up and the middle finger protruded out. I wouldn’t call either time her flipping anyone off. Just unfortunate default finger positions.
Bluhare
No your eyes are fine. Her hand is extending her middle finger out more than the others. She did the same thing during her portrait unveiling if you can remember or care to look up the article. She brought her hand up and the middle finger protruded out. I wouldn’t call either time her flipping anyone off. Just unfortunate default finger positions.
kaiser: listen girl…keep posting these funny pics of kate. love your sense of humor, i laugh like an idiot starring at the screen in front of me everytime I see them. yup! keep them coming!
Good Time Gary spent ten years investing in Waity K, so now he gets to reap the dividends in the form of publicity. It’s a bit like the pimp/ho relationship Kris K has with Kim K, only while Kris works alone, Gary and Mummy Middleton are more of a pimp-team.
£275m really didn’t sound right, so I looked it up. I believe £275m was the total market cap of the company when it was initially listed. Gary was not sole shareholder, so he didn’t get all that.
Here’s one article saying he got £17m from the sale of his shares http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2312220/Kate-Middletons-uncle-Gary-Goldsmith-reveals-truth-17m-fortune.html
Here’s another saying he’s now worth £30m
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/10082956/Gary-Goldsmith-Inside-the-court-of-the-King-of-Fun.html
Those numbers make much more sense.
Thanks Lucrezia. That makes a lot more sense. 250 million is a LOT of money even by wealthy standards. (Isn’t it?) I think I could live on 17 million or 30 million pounds.
Anoxerics often don’t buy maternity clothes.
In denial about their bodies and not wanting them to change. Some anoxerics.
Banskygirl
This is true. I think with Kate it’s more of a state of arrested development. She’s voluntarily regressed maturity-wise and looks like a high school girl that got knocked up and still wants to fit into her old clothes. She doesn’t seem to be accepting her body and the change it’s going through. Or at least not embracing it.
Her street style is nice though. Just not for a pregnant woman in her 30’s. Weird.
Anoxerics often don’t buy maternity clothes.
In denial about their bodies and not wanting them to change.