With each passing year, it gets harder and harder to believe that Party Pieces was ever the source for the Middleton family’s wealth. I don’t doubt that for years, PP was a profitable business, perhaps even a successful enough business to provide a comfortable life for Carole, Michael and the Middleton children. But no, I never believed that PP made Carole and Michael into millionaires several times over, enough to finance the arrested-development adulthoods of Kate, Pippa and James. That money came from other income streams, or perhaps shady Uncle Gary. In any case, the bloom is off the rose, so to speak. For years now, Party Pieces has recorded significant losses. Carole tried to branch out the business to include a sliver of the American market, with an exclusive deal with Shop-Rite. To no avail – more losses, more financial shambles.
Carole Middleton’s company has seen a ‘terrible Christmas’ of business and is now in a dispute with suppliers over their payment agreement, it has emerged. The Princess of Wales’s mother owns party decoration supplier, Party Pieces. It was founded in 1987 when Carole was looking for inspiration for her daughter Kate’s fifth birthday party. But the company faced difficulty over the recent festive period with a dip in customer spending due to the cost of living crisis.
Carole, who famously started the business on her kitchen table, is now reportedly doing her utmost to bolster its prospects and has taken on the challenge herself by dealing directly with suppliers.
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Carole’s been explaining that it’s been a terrible Christmas — made worse by the postal strikes. She’s emphasised that she’d like to continue doing business with them [the suppliers] but would like terms allowing Party Pieces 90 days [in which to pay for goods] rather than the usual 30 days.’
However, Carole’s appeal to suppliers has so far been unsuccessful. ‘They’re saying, “No” to 90 days’ credit,’
Carole admitted a year ago that the company was operating in a ‘competitive market’, adding: ‘We work hard to stay ahead of the trends and ensure we have original designs and “I wish I’d thought of that” products.’
Last October it was revealed that the firm racked up a loss of £285,506 in 2021, taking its total deficit to £1.35 million. This was reportedly a consequence of ‘continued investment in the company’s growth plans, including the launch of a wholesale division and the opening of new territories in the U.S., Europe and Middle East’.
I don’t even necessarily think that this is the result of bad decision making from Carole, honestly. It’s just that the party-supply business is pretty niche and even more overcrowded at the moment, especially with the prevalence of online shopping and discount stores. The cost of living crisis is the icing on the cake of this downturn, but even then, Carole was doing the right thing by trying to expand into the American and Middle Eastern markets. But again, the product is niche, and even if you expand it to say that Party Pieces is more of a lifestyle brand, that’s still a very crowded market, and a market which has seen significant downturns across the board.
What happens now? God knows. I suspect significant withdrawals from the Bank of Gary Goldsmith are in order. Perhaps Carole’s son-in-law will spare some Duchy of Cornwall money for her. Perhaps Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews will also be called in for a cash infusion. I always wondered why Carole didn’t unload PP years ago – just sell it to someone, pocket a tidy profit and claim you’ve retired. I bet she regrets not doing that now. Maybe no one made her a good enough offer.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton arrives at the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain, September 19, 2022.,Image: 724081127, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph / Avalon
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- Michael Middleton and Carole Middleton The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, Service, West Door, Westminster Abbey, London, UK – 19 Sep 2022,Image: 724158040, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon
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- Carole Middleton The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, Service, West Door, Westminster Abbey, London, UK – 19 Sep 2022,Image: 724158170, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon
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- Carole Middleton The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, Service, West Door, Westminster Abbey, London, UK – 19 Sep 2022,Image: 724158734, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Veysey/Shutterstock / Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton arrive at Windsor Castle ahead of the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022 in Windsor, England. The committal service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, took place following the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. A private burial in The King George VI Memorial Chapel followed. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.,Image: 724191188, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Leon Neal / Avalon
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- Carole and Michael Middleton arriving for the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in London. The service will be broadcast on ITV1 on Christmas Eve as part of a Royal Carols: Together At Christmas programme, narrated by Catherine Zeta Jones and featuring an introduction by Kate and tributes to Queen Elizabeth II.,Image: 744946541, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty O’Connor / Avalon
They’re likely making good money off the books selling customer data. It’s what I think is keeping them afloat.
GDPR is still law in the UK, I’d hope they aren’t doing that.
@EBS: Maybe it now being illegal is part of the reason for their downturn? Not sure on the timelines.
Yikes! Shady.
I think they used to do that and it definitely added to their profits (but not to the tune of the millions they got from ‘somewhere’) but it’s now illegal thanks to GDPR so this will also have hit their revenue.
@SarahCS I think your explanation about the missing revenue stream is the most plausible.
I also think the Midds wealth has been over hyped for decades, they’re possibly living above their means.
I’m sorry for their employees if the business folds. Still, there’s a global recession ongoing, so things are bound to be difficult.
We never did find out who “owned” that pot farm right next to their property, did we. That got hushed up VERY fast!
Yes and I think they were also laundering funds from other enterprises (for Gary?) there as well, which is why they couldn’t sell before. I think that between GDPR and closer financial scrutiny they’ve lost their actual revenue streams and the fact that this business is a dud is out there for all to see
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if CarolE gave her bother the access to launder money as she is an unscrupulous woman as it is.
Didn’t PP suffer from horrendous reviews last year or the year before?? As for asking her creditors for an extension is preposterous on her end.
She needs to enter the Asian market with her royal connections front and center. That is all.
Also why hasn’t she brokered a deal with Amazon? It only makes sense. Dropship your own shit.
Yeah I don’t think PP understands the US market. ShopRite is an East Coast grocery store. It’s not what you’d think of for party or even holidays card shopping. Most people I know look at Amazon or Etsy for party decorations – think of Cricut entrepreneurs have shops on Etsy.
Unlikely since GDPR’s introduction in 2018 making it illegal to sell customer data without their explicit consent in Europe (even post Brexit it still applies to the UK). Even the royal cashing in thats going on on the down low isn’t going to help them – its a highly competitive market.
Didn’t she try and sell it a few years ago and there were no takers – she then turned around saying they were just looking for investors!?!?! Yeah right – they’ve been trying to offload it for a long time and no one is interested even with the ‘royal’ connections.
I wonder if we will see a Duchy or Waitrose partnership soon!?!?!? Ma would LOVE to get in on that supply chain.
“…the bloom is off the rose, so to speak.” I see what you did there. 😉
I don’t buy that this business ever legitimately turned a profit. Not in the last 20 years, at least. The business model doesn’t make sense.
I’ve never understood it. Granted I’m not much for entertaining but it would never occur to me to order common supplies from a niche site. I kept thinking maybe it’s different in Britain. Fewer big box stores. More pride in supporting small domestic businesses. But Americans are just gonna buy the cheapest most convenient stuff. You might do okay on Etsy but not three kids in boarding school successful.
I totally agree. And even if they were making a “good” living, they have lived like multi-millionaires for years, and that just doesn’t add up. (See huge country piles, flat in London, co-owning of a race horse, extravagant travel.)
The freebies they were able to get through the royal connection would have helped with some of the extravagances.
But the upgrades to Buckleberry manor were paid for by other because of “security” reasons.
Me either, there was much to much money sloshing around to have been made legitimally from a party peices business. Something smells (and not of roses
That’s unfortunate. Building a business to see if fail is brutal, but I can’t muster any sad feelings or pity for this woman or this family. It seems as though they were behind some of the attacks that Duchess Meghan endured and she and her lazy, wicked Botoxed daughter benefited from those attacks. So ce la vie to the Middleton’s and their business.
Besides, don’t they have that weed farm or some sh*t?
Seeing your business turn in loss after loss is tough, but it’s also business. I still don’t understand how her and michael made that much money with this business in the first place. I guess having friends in high places came in handy, which tells me they were never truly the working class family the press tries to make them out to be. They already had money.
In any case it seems like the in laws are now responsible for keeping the middletons afloat
They’ve been attacking her since she was a guest at Pippa’s wedding (she didn’t go to the ceremony as there were no pictures of her outside the church, just the reception). They threw a fit about her stealing the spotlight from Pippa and James outside the church so Meghan didn’t come to the church (I remember some wacky headlines that Pippa had a “no ring, no bring” rule or some such nonsense). I still remember the couple coming out to face the media and Pippa did look happy to be married but omg, she was so giddy in front of those cameras. Meanwhile Kate was being fussy with the kids and trying to steal the spotlight on her sister’s own day off to the side.
LOL kHate at Pips wedding – she was def trying to mug some of the attention for herself. That gaudy outfit screamed look at me.
Karma just doing its job!
How long til she writes a tell-all book?
The few times I’ve popped over to look at their website, I think “oh this is cute” but there is nothign special or nothing that stands out to me. I can go into the local party story and get the same products or go on Amazon and pay less. It seems like an idea that was probably a good one in the late 80s going into the 90s but just isn’t that practical anymore, where every store has an online presence and I can order from Target or Walmart or Amazon just as easily as Party Pieces (or the UK equivalent of those stores.)
I don’t know why she didn’t offload it years ago, but it must have been because of a lack of real offers, right?
Becks- or it’s a front for something else.
I think either you are right, and its a front for something else (money laundering for Uncle Gary perhaps, who knows) or @ThatsNotOkay right below you is right, and someone did make her an offer, she turned it down, and now it turns out that was a really bad decision on her part. Or maybe the truth is somewhere in between?
I’ll wager someone DID make her an offer she couldn’t refuse, but she refused it. And now she’s paying for it.
I think her books wouldn’t withstand scrutiny from a legitimate business, especially a larger one that would do a full audit. Either that, or she’s too much of a control freak to entertain the idea of selling.
I can maybe see people in the Uk ordering stuff, but anything overseas is too cost prohibitive for cheap party tat, especially when it can be found cheaper in local dollar stores.
The US website doesn’t look unique. There are so many other manufacturers & providers at all price points available here.
I call tax dodge. I think it was meant to lose money, that biz is for publicity only, isn’t it?
As if the Mids have $$ troubles. Will or Pippa can throw them $$.
I think that Baldimort is gun shy to hand CarolE any more money and Uncle Gary is certainly out of the equation as he is still waiting to be awarded for his “generosity”. Though Pippa might be foolish enough to dig her parents out.
Somebody will step up. It would embarrass the monarchy to have the Middletons struggling to survive.
Wonder how much they make off of talking to tabloids.
Peggy already gave them money to allow them to buy Middleton Manor in cash – they also got access to royal furniture (was in the Fail). I don’t think Ma has that control of peggy to shake him down for the cash again.
Maybe the tradeoff to Gary was him being allowed to run his mouth about Meghan and write that “op-ed” a few months ago. They can’t very well take money from him BUT at the same time, tell him to stay hidden with his mouth shut because they’re embarrassed of him.
@Sue, I see what you’re saying, but I don’t exactly think they’d ever be “struggling to survive.” They could easily downsize from their ginormous “manor” since it’s just the two of them now, and Pippa has a giant home nearby that could fit everyone at the holidays or whatever. No way do they need so much space. They could still buy a mansion, just a smaller one. But CarolE’s probably too proud to consider such a thing and believes she deserves the Manor. (CarolE might even be delusional enough to think she’ll be moving into Windsor Castle once Charles goes.)
Who knows where Mike even lives. He is the most curious character in that entire family imo. What is his deal?? He tolerates CarolE, but always seems slightly embarrassed? I wish Uncle Gary would spill more on *him*.
It just doesn’t make sense as a stand-alone business in the modern age. A bunch of throwaway pieces for a kid birthday party—the times I’ve done that I just ordered it all for super cheap on Amazon.
They’re mostly bots so I don’t pay that much attention of course but I’m enjoying that there are so many comments on the Mail article pointing out how sketchy it is that the Middletons supposedly became millionaires off cheap party tat (they didn’t, lol).
What is are her price points, because I’m guessing most people would go to big chain stores,party city or have planners in the US. She should have tried a different angle like an English Martha Stewart her USP would be that her daughter is the future Queen. Party tat ain’t gonna cut it.
Yeah I think if Carole had focused on providing some sort of etiquette lessons and how to interact in different types of society she would have done well. When instagram first happened she could have been an influencer showing how to dress for any occasion or what you need to keep on hand so you can throw an effortless last minute party.
Considering we know that CopyKeen reads CB, we will probably see this “new” adventure take off….
This right here. That’s the answer.
But Kate’s own etiquette is lacking. Hair twirling, gum chewing and poor posture. What could she or get mom teach anyone about the classist scam that is etiquette.
If her business model was teaching women how to bag a Prince/aristo she’d def be a multi millionaires by now.
Carole is frightening looking. Who wants dressing tips from her 😹
I agree with you re the finances. Enough for them to live comfortable lifestyles but not fund 3 kids well into their 20s and living in London (mostly).
As pointed out in the article and other’s comments in the past, it’s a really crowded market now. Most will just get their party supplies of Amazon or the local superstore. I knew speciality party shops in my area. One was within walking distance and is going although you can find cheaper stuff online. The other was a short drive away and merged with the local superstore. Their supplies are in the aisles of the store and they’ve got a counter to do all the balloons. But definitely not the whole shop they had before.
Yep. And there’s no way it could allow them to pay cash for that Chelsea flat that they got for Kate during her uni years.
Noo way C, that cash was definitely laundering through property, Drugs gangs do it all de time here…clean de money . I read somewhere that their old house was remortgaged a few times hence de pressure in Kate to marry William, suppose leading this lifestyle they couldn’t afford ! Also there Home house now was mortgaged aboard for some reason or another and Will.apparently bought this house as a base for Kate !!
There was some trust money for education which was referenced a while back as coming from the Middleton side. That would explain why they didn’t board.
There was an article around the time of the wedding (Guardian? Telegraph?) that debunked that and the amount of business the Middletons were claiming. The inheritance was used on Mike’s education but gone long before the three kids were at school.
I thought it was a HUGE mistake trying to expand into the US market. Like you say said, it’s a ridiculously crowded field with better and cheaper options. She clearly thought she could trade on being royal adjacent. Believing that’s why Harry and Meghan are doing so well here and thinking she would be even MORE successful because she’s the mother of the future Queen and grandmother to a future King.
You’d think they’d have learned a thing or two from Pippa’s Celebrate flop.
She is trading on her relationship with the BRF which is how they have been able to live beyond their means for the two decades. As for the US market, she should have done her homework as our market is already fully drenched. But of course as you mentioned CarolE was probably under the impression that she would thrive in the US, as if she would be welcomed here.
Damn. I thought titles and association with the royals were all you needed to succeed in America. Kate is the future queen and the most popular royal here (according to all the polls). And all that still couldn’t sell ma midd’s paper plates and party pieces. (Didn’t they learn anything from Pippa’s past failure?) 😂🤭
No one I know ever ordered party supplies online. A short trip to any dollar store and for less than 10$ you can have tablecloth, plates and napkins and balloons, no postage. After the party it just gets trashed so why spend more. Kids don’t care. From the very beginning I’ve been saying that this whole millionaire status from Party Pieces is a sham. I’ll even go so far as to suggest it smells like money laundering, but that’s just my opinion.
Yup, a money laundering scheme for Uncle Gary’s drug business and Carole gets a cut. I bet that pot farm near their estate that got raided is theirs too.
All the parties and events I’ve held or been to use as little cheap plastic as possible. I’ve always made my own decorations and centerpieces from ideas on Pinterest or craft magazines. I do my own flower arrangements also. Plastic is just tacky and is ruining our environment imo even for children’s parties I try to avoid it at all cost. While I do use paper plates and colored napkins those can be purchased anywhere and there are numerous options here. Paying more because it is Kate’s Mom’s business is just to ridiculous for most people here. The failure of party pieces really wouldn’t bother me at all.
Is the bloom off the rose? First, articles calling Kate’s vanity project ineffective and now pointing out cracks in the Middleton empire. Did something change with the new year? Will they send Uncle Gary out to say Kate should be made queen immediately because the Meddletons have strong stock and solid middle class values?
Next to Bulliam, Camilla got v bad press from Spare. I’m not surprised if she is throwing Mumbles under the bus. There is more (believable) material to attack her n the shady Midds with.
‘Carole was doing the right thing by trying to expand into the American and Middle Eastern markets. ‘
In other words, she was looking for Charlie’s buddies in the Middle East to bail her out with shady money. Typical.
Charles is king now, he can’t be caught handling those bags of cash..someone has to be the runner.
That’s Snowdon’s role for him, not Carol(E)’s. She wants to cozy up to to the murderous and anti-democracy Middle Eastern royals and get a cut of the action. To be coddled, accepted, and funded as other hangers on like former king Juan-Carlos and his criminal daughter. Charlie Boy won’t want her there, but when has that ever stopped any of her actions?
The time to expand into the US was right before and after the wedding when William and Kate’s popularity was at its peak. Carole mentioned pre COVID in that telegraph 2-part interview she gave that party pieces has outside investors and they were the ones allegedly pushing her to be more public. I wouldn’t be surprised if these are simply fake good faith efforts to make it seem like they’re keeping the business aloft while loading it with debt to eventually declare bankruptcy. But the issue with that is that it is formulated as a partnership
And the Middletons would be liable for the debts. So, money laundering/tax dodging it is.
Carole doesn’t have to worry about finances now, William can bail her out with the Duchy of Cornwall money.
How much freedom does he have over that money? Obviously Charles has lived a very nice lifestyle with seemingly little scrutiny and was able to set up trusts for Camilla’s children etc. So is there any kind of oversight or is it just like, “here Duke of Cornwall, this is your money for the year, do whatever?” And even if it is like that, Charles at least used to publish his accounts, right? That was how people figured out he really wasn’t paying for Meghan’s clothes etc because there was no increase in cost for what he was spending on the wardrobes of his DILs.
Party City, a U.S. party supply retailer and online business, filed for bankruptcy a few weeks ago. So maybe it’s an industry thing.
Party City was deliberately loaded with debt by new owners who are a hedge fund with the intention of looting it and then declaring bankruptcy. They also have a lot of commercial real estate. The Middletons don’t.
I hope Party City doesn’t close, I wouldn’t know where else to get helium balloons : /
Yeah, I’m surprised William/Kate didn’t just pay whatever bills or whatever outright. If nothing else, surely they don’t want this particular information in the news cycle?
Oh, she’ll be fine. She’ll be rubbing her hands with glee at the thought of all the Charlie’s Coronation tat* she can shill.
*Tat = UK slang for useless cr*p 😊
Ah yes!! I can see it now! The king’s coronation served with a dash of banners, paper cups, paper table toppers and paper cups…..😂😂😂😂😂😂
Just what every king dreams of for his coronation!!
There is a “Best of British” section LOL (don’t hate me, I had to go look again lol)
We see polls saying Harry is viewed unfavorably over there. Is this a low key indicator that perhaps the Middletons are suffering similarly? As in: everyone’s popularity is decreasing over the Sussexit and we’re seeing some financial impact?
But imagine the glee and disdain from the British media if it were Doria in this position. Didn’t they make an enormous deal out of her having declared bankruptcy at some point ages ago?
I wonder if any of the unpaid suppliers have told CarolE they’re also impacted by the cost of living crisis and to get a loan from her son-in-law…
Maybe she should just sell party supplies for 5 and under because according to her daughter who cares after that .
And that’s my pippa tip
😭
Lorelei try the Dollar tree!
Hereby nominated for comment of the week!
Party City, a U.S. party supply retailer and online business, filed for bankruptcy a few weeks ago. So maybe it’s an industry thing.
Most people get their party supplies on Amazon, Etsy, or go to dollar stores or their local Party City. Last summer my parents hosted a party in their backyard for their 40th anniversary with a tent/chairs/tables. My mom decided to go with a sunflower theme and purchased all the decorations off of Amazon. Not sure why they haven’t closed or sold the business and enjoyed their retirement, they’ve got enough grandkids to keep them busy at this point.
Yeah the dollar stores in the US have very cute general party supplies and some like the Dollar Tree have amazing gift bags. No need to help doggy Uncle Gary
Never, never, never would the English government audit the books of the Princess of Wales’ mother. I’d bet my house on it.
Why can’t they just capitalize on their name, sell the business and retire? Go on an extended cruise or play golf. After Brexit and Covid, don’t see why they’re even carrying on with this business. These days Amazon, and places like dollar stores obliterate these types of businesses.
Business sense?
Bespoke marshmallows.
‘Nuff said.
Does anyone know what James the son does for a living? You’d think that he would be the logical one to pass the “family business” to.
I think he’s living off his wife’s money, she comes from a fairly wealthy family and is some kind of top notch financial analyst. She definitely married down.
Analyst is the lowest level of financial professional in finance. Some of them can even work on commission, essentially. Her top notch-ness and so on was overblown, but at least she has a job
Isn’t he running a dog food company now? I feel like he started one a few years ago, it might have gone under by now.
That’s after the Nazi marshmallow business was dropped.
I think he’s been handsomely compensated for allowing Pippa’s husband and Camilla’s nephew, Tory fixer and chair Ben Elliot, use Boomf as a loss vehicle for tax offsets before unloading it to a sketchy Russian adjacent businessman for properly the same purposes and money laundering. James Matthews also paid him for a time to lead tours and “run” Glen Affric, the Matthews’ family Scottish estate. Undoubtedly he also has a stake in Pippa and James’ new plans to ruin the Berkshire countryside they so claim to live by commercializing their properties to the max
From what I read about brother James, he seemed hardly competent to run his own Nazi marshmallow business, much less is he capable to “taking over” his parents’ suspiciously funded, and limping business — on second thought, James seems to be the right guy to take over that dodgy business. Like parents, like son.
Many years ago, someone with an audit background demonstrated that the business could not support their extravagant lifestyle. They obviously have other sources of income. to be able to afford buying significant assets debt free.
Yikes. That’s a sign of a business that’s circling the drain. I don’t know whether they’d be “allowed” to file bankruptcy or if that’d be unacceptable PR reflecting on the RF, so they’d get bailed out. Maybe that’s the point of these articles, to threaten potential embarrassment if they don’t get some assistance. I wonder if anyone on the royal side realizes the reputational risk of sunshine on Middleton finances.
Not all that unusual for businesses experiencing a cash flow crunch to ask their creditors for extended terms. Happens all the time, especially these days with all of the supply chain issues many are having.
You know weird Uncle Gary has them between a rock and a hard place. He’s got the money but will pretty much demand some kind of title (Lord Hookers-n-Blow?) in return for a donation to shore up the dwindling family fund.
I actually hunted down the PP section in the ShopRite near my dad’s house over the holidays. It’s real, and it did not look like any of the items in it were particularly popular.
Same here. My local SR has their merchandise at the rear side of the the card aisle mid store, so pass by it often. Have seen no indication they’re moving much, if anything. It’s an older store, somewhat cramped and very busy, bet the store would like that space back to use for other things.
Feels planted by Carole, she’s begging for money they don’t want this out there so someone’s gonna give her money without her asking. The story will fade away until sake/dissolution of the business is my guess . They’ll say we will help you to close this embarrassing business.
Up thread someone commented about loading a business with debt from other ventures before going into bankruptcy. This news blurp could just be the quiet intro to the demise of PP. James Middleton and his debts figure into this somehow.
I can’t get past that tacky three-strand necklace she’s wearing on the top photo — nice touch, Kaiser, a funeral photo on a post about Carole’s failing business.
You can’t compete with the royal jewels, so why not go for an artsy piece? Or a simple, genuine pearl necklace. The Midds have no taste.
I loved that Kaiser used a funeral photo for an article about PP failing 😂
JuliaK, sounds like Carole is drawing a page from Trump’s business model: debt and bankruptcy. Maybe she’ll soon run for Prime Minister, too.
She should have created an upscale event planning business. Hire some very talented people and be the face of it to bring in the clients.