Prince William has always gotten along with Carole and Mike Middleton. Some have even made the argument that William is much more fond of his in-laws than the Windsors. I’ve made the argument, at times, that William is extremely fond of Carole specifically, that she understands him and mothers him and she has always been a big part of his relationship with and marriage to Kate. Carole was practically living with the Cambridges full-time for a while too, when (I believe) they hit a rough patch and Carole was there to soothe both of them. We also know that William has always fought for the Middletons to be included in royal stuff, and that he gave Carole and Mike the money to buy an upgraded home in Bucklebury, what I often call “Middleton Manor.”
Last week, there suddenly seemed to be a flurry of rumors about the Middletons’ family business, Party Pieces, and whether the business was struggling financially. Carole has fired several people and reportedly company morale is very low. Carole rushed over to a royal reporter (Richard Kay) to push the narrative that the business is fine and that they’re actually talking to investors about expanding. Well, what’s William’s reaction to all of this?
Prince William is “nothing but supportive” of his in-laws, Carole and Michael Middleton, we hear — amid reports their British party business is in trouble. The Middletons this week faced speculation over the future of their lucrative family business, Party Pieces — which offers supplies and favors for children’s parties — after it was reported they were letting go three staff members.
But Page Six is told the parents of Catherine are intent on growing the company and are talking to investors. The source revealed Prince William is actually very supportive of his wife’s parents, saying: “He’s always admired that they were self-made.”
Why is William “supportive” if everything is rosy and amazing with Party Pieces? I don’t know. But it’s weird that this story isn’t a bigger thing, because I find it fascinating. Either the wheels are coming off the Middletons’ cover story about Party Pieces being this hugely profitable business, or there are some weird “investor” machinations happening behind the scenes. Or something. As for the Middletons being self-made… Mike Middleton had an inheritance. But Carole’s brother Gary Goldsmith is a self-made millionaire.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
Carole being a second mom to William I can see.
I wonder what titles he will give them once he is king.
Indeed, Carole won’t settle for anything less than a Dukedom that will go to the Marshmallow Prince. William is the only way she will get her title, as neither TQ or Chuck r inclined to.
Given the rumours about their finances and external investors mean they will have to open their books, me thinks the investment will come via James Mathews who has already bailed out Boomf.
PP have made their money selling on their customer lists and tax loopholes. I wonder if Uncle Gary finally pulled his money tree from them.
The Nazi Party Supply Peddling Marshmallow Duke, eh?
@Digital – all direct marketing companies sell and exchange their lists. It’s part of the business and completely legal.
@Megan – I work in the industry so I know its legal and since GDPR (the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation) came into effect 2 years ago its become difficult to make decent money off selling lists as you have to get the consumers consent to do so and many people are NOT giving consent and are asking for their details to be actively removed from these lists. GDPR cost the Middleton’s a major source of income from PP.
Charities are/were notorious for selling list to anyone and everyone to make money and they’ve been feeling the pinch of the new rules.
@Digital – Then obviously you know that the number one predictor that someone will respond to your solicitation is if they have done so elsewhere, making list rentals and swaps essential to the acquisition of new customers or donors.
@megan
I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make – @digitalunicorn never said that selling customer lists was illegal, as she reiterated. Her point was that selling those lists was a major income source for PP, and that now, under the new GDPR rules, customer consent is required in order to sell their information, thus making PP’s primary source of income far more difficult to pull in. It doesn’t matter how the use of selling those lists impacts other companies or charities’ attempts at finding new customers or recruiting new donors. Your final response to @digitalunicorn is beyond pointless – there are new rules about how consumer data can be disseminated and sold, and consumers are consistently choosing not to allow their information to be sold now, as is their right. No one cares how useful solicitation based off of selling those lists might be. It’s a terrible way to rely on reaching new customers and, more importantly, new donors, anyways. I sense you have no real concept of how dangerous the unregulated sales of consumer data can be and have been. Or don’t care. The days of successful direct-marketing companies are coming to a close, and charities have many other ways to approach donor outreach that are less wasteful and more effective; sometimes it just takes developing and getting used to those new methods of donor outreach. Direct marketing is an outdated, insanely wasteful, fairly useless process.
@Megan – Its about consenting to having your details shared/sold in renting/swapping lists etc.. A company has to get explicit consent from you to sell/share with 3rd parties your personal data, its usually in the form of a check box either when you sign up or in your profile and that you should also have the ability to change that preference at any time. As long as the person has given explicit consent to having their details shared/sold to third parties etc.. they can do so but consent is not implied any more here in the UK/EU.
Not sure where you are based but in the EU data protection rules have gotten strict.
GDPR was designed to give the consumer more control over their data and how it is used by businesses etc.. in the digital world.
Hey Perplexed and Digital Unicorn – have a great day.
I just had to do some training on GDPR because my company is based in the UK and the requirements are much stricter than what exists for North American jurisdictions. Under the GDPR, consent must be given for each specific list and not a general click here and it applies to all. It is not that specific in Canada and the US, or it isn’t enforced in any real way here yet.
@nic919
Yes, it’s still much different in Canada/North America; I think it’s a lack of enforcement? There was a lot of noise in the US over consumer data privacy rules several years ago, and not much seemed to come out of it. I’ve been much more impressed with the UK’s handling of GDPR; I think that level of thoroughness, when it comes to consumer data privacy and protection, is just so important. I’ve seen some very unfortunate things occur when that information accidentally falls into the wrong hands (or not-so-accidentally).
@nic919 – ah i had forgotten about it being list specific as well, i did a intro session on it just before it became law but I haven’t had to use that knowledge recently as I have changed jobs a few times in the past few years (am a contractor). I know that as a consumer I can ask a company for details of whom they have shared my details with and for what purposes. The big take away was consent, consent and consent.
I’m all for GDPR, I had all sorts of organisations that I had NOT signed up to get in touch with me asking if I wanted to stay with them – i had a lot of fun say ‘delete me’. Many were companies I had never heard of or spoken too – was a real eye opener.
@perplexed – it’s crazy what happens to your personal data and how much it is actually worth to companies. IIRC PP had quite a large list and that they would regularly sell it on to make a nice tidy sum. They of course used their royal connections to trade off to get a premium price for it.
@digitalunicorn
I was also quite surprised and disturbed at how many different companies and organizations got in contact with me; I’d say I hadn’t heard of around 60-70% of them. It just shows how vastly consumer data is spread around, and why those regulations are all-important!
I’m originally from the US (Washington, DC born and raised), and my family is all still there. I have been absolutely shocked to hear how their own sold consumer data has come back to harm them, and the level of secrecy that still exists around the sales of consumer data (because, like you said, it’s worth a lot of money to a lot of people!). My grandmother was targeted by a scammer who stole her information from the company that he worked for (along with many, many other people’s). He was able to determine her age (almost 90), her relationship to one of her grandchildren, and then used her phone number to call her, used another young woman to impersonate my cousin. This woman claimed that she, as my cousin, had been driving drunk, run a red light, and hit someone, and that she was in jail in another state with multiple injuries (including a broken nose, which is “why [she] may have sounded different”) and multiple charges. Then this gentleman came on the phone, pretending to be her lawyer, and demanded that my grandmother wire transfer $15,000 immediately in order to get her out of jail and to pay for her defense. Luckily, she didn’t buy it, but it was extremely upsetting, and I was shocked when I tried to file police reports on her behalf and was told “nothing could be done” while having the reports drawn up. I was even told to contact the Federal Trade Commission to report this, and they thanked me, and told me they’d make a note of it. And that was it. There was a detective looking into it for a few months, after I essentially handed them the real name and location of the scammer (he used Skype, I was able to track him through that and have Skype hand his information to the police), but nothing’s come of it. As far as I know, he still works for the same company that he was stealing information from. Also learned through this process: in the US, it’s next to impossible to reach out to a company and find out what data they have on you, and find out with whom and what they’ve shared and why. It’s ridiculous!
And yes, my understanding is that PP’s list is significant and that they’ve been primarily making their money selling it, as other viable competitors have entered and cornered the market. That all-important royal connection! I suppose milking every aspect of it is their bread and butter.
There are reports in British press , he calls Mike dad.
But it never says what he calls Carole?
I thought the business was doing great according to Carole and Richard Kay?
Interesting..
So the business is in trouble Afterall?
I bet Party Pieces is in trouble and the Middletons is looking for a royal bailout. I wonder if Bill is the “investor” ?
I think Pippa’s husband is the lucky investor.
Billy is too cheap to invest in them. It’s going to be the moderately wealthy James who will help them if anyone does.
I always wondered how they have THAT much money from a party supply store. How are they able to compete with Amazon and other online retailers? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. I would completely believe that Party Pieces might allow them to be upper-middle class, but not manor owning upper class.
I think Carole started it when Kate was a baby so it’s been going for a long time and was probably one of the first companies to do it, I think from a catalogue to begin with? Not sure.
Their net worth is greatly exaggerated.
No way they have the multi millions claimed.
I never believed it.
I agree, it has been greatly exaggerated.
Here is a breakdown: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a20166559/kate-middleton-parents-carole-michael-net-worth/
@melly
You’re right to be suspicious!
PP doesn’t compete with Amazon or anything of the like; they make their money off of selling their customer’s data to other companies. Prior to Amazon, etc., PP existed in a very niche market that dollar stores, party stores, and the internet now dominate. So for a time, PP itself did make money selling the cheap crap they shill, but not enough to make the Middleton’s “manor-rich”, just upper-middle-class rich, and now they’re stuck trying to make money off of selling their customer lists. Furthermore, selling consumer data just became a more regulated process (2 years ago; making their struggle now an obvious reaction to those regulations). Uncle Gary paid for the Middleton kids’ educations, for the constant “vacations” for Kate and William during the “Wait-ying” days, and William bought them their “manor” in Bucklebury. And beyond that, as others have said, their net worth is extremely exaggerated.
William is so supportive of his in laws, but not his brother and his wife. Gotcha! Something is definitely up with Party Pieces. Or maybe something is up period. Hard times for the Cambridges and Middletons.
This is true. Did we ever see a story about how supportive any of the Windsors were of Meghan during the smear campaign?
I remember a story about William thinking Meghan was handling her issue with her father incorrectly because he disagreed with cutting off family.
It is very odd that this was in the Page Six column. Why would Americans care about Party Pieces. Page Six has also recently run unflattering stories on Meghan and Harry.
William showed Kate public support when the Uncle Gary scandal happened so this is probably more of the same. Criticizing Kate and the Middletons means having a problem with William.
My wildcard for all of this gossip is Eugenie. She wants to have a public profile and is the only one who fully benefits from controversy around the other three families.
The Wales, Cambridges and Sussexes will never work together and fully trust each other.
Eugenie doesn’t want a royal role. Beatrice might, but not Eugenie. All the fuss over her wedding was Andrew and Fergie wanting attention, not Eugenie.
Could be a diversion from the prospective matrimonials/unsuitable camera-loving candidate: perhaps Andy is being meddlesome? He *is* absolutely ghastly – I have had the displeasure of meeting him in a five minute brush with hell and… No words. The horror. The horror.
Coo, I’m really in uber-gossip mode today.
@notasugarhere
Exactly, it was the Andy and Fergie circus hour; Eugenie was just trying to get married and likely knew she had to let her parents run the show to get there. She’s never shown interest in a royal role.
And @jadedbrit
Oh no! That sounds ghastly and absolutely gross! I hope you’ve recovered (mentally, emotionally, spiritually) from that as much as possible. I’ve endured some disgusting… touches… and comments from some US congressmen, and was unable to react due to the setting(s) that we were in (and one of them was a former childhood hero of mine; a leader of the Civil Rights movement), so I think I can slightly feel your pain. Repugnant creature, he is.
wondered the same thing. wouldn’t the “insider” who spilled the beans go to a uk tabloid?
NYpost is Rupert Murdoch owned.
A story may go to British first, but if British publications don’t want to print a story, sometimes is sold across the pond to US tabloids or paper.
During the very early years of Di and Charles trouble Rumours, the British papers would not print the stories, according to (deceased) James Whitaker, a great Royal journalist, many of the stories were only printed in US papers or tabloids for years before British media would touch it.
Same thing with Duke of Windsor Rumours of Wallis Simpson, only US papers were reporting on it at first, it was kept out of the British papers.
I can see her being a mother figure to him since he lost his mother so tragically. It’s nice to know he’s supportive of his mother in law. Guess he’s not supportive of his sister-in-law being bullied and trashed by the Royal Reporters or we would have heard about it, no?
Right?? We’ve seen over the past few days that the royals and the Middletons WILL speak out to protect their reputations/image. The fact that they have not done so re: Meghan speaks volumes.
The Midds turned $100,000 inheritance into a biz that made enough money for their kids to move in social circles with royalty. They got a break at the start, but I think they still qualify as self-made.
Carole and Michael have done great with their company.
However, things have changed so perhaps they should get with the times are retire.
Carole and Mike were v successful with PP but given the competition from pound stores and Amazon their business was always going to struggle. They priced themselves out of the market and didn’t really diversify in what is a saturated market place. Plus their shipping costs were way too high.
Well done to them but maybe it’s time to either retire or rethink their business.
I think this is the issue. I believe they WERE doing really well for quite some time. But businesses everywhere are struggling with exactly that – amazon and just generally wide access to cheaper alternatives. It’s hard – and I do sort of feel bad for anyone experiencing that kind of thing. But now is the time to really set yourself apart, or maybe sell it off.
The money was less than that and spent on schooling for Mike, very little left for the education of their kids. Shady Uncle Gary and his money is the key here.
The Middleton money has always been exaggerated.
Their vacation homes were borrowed,
The trust was less split three ways, Mike only got around 30thousand.
Nothing has ever added up with them. IMO
UG left a cryptic quote on Twitter a few days ago.
It made me wonder?
@Megan
You’re forgetting Uncle Gary’s contributions to PP; Mike’s inheritance was not what got PP off the ground. It’s impressive that Carole and Mike (seemingly more Carole than Mike, but I digress) managed to start a successful business that now appears to have run its course due to many factors like better competitors, etc., and while I believe they worked quite hard to get it started, they did not solely rely on their own money or Mike’s inheritance. They, as many start-ups and small businesses do in the beginning, relied on help. Help from Gary Goldsmith (who did truly, completely on his own, build and sell an incredibly successful business for millions and millions of dollars). Which is nothing to be ashamed about, unless you’re Carole Middleton, it seems. Mike’s inheritance was already mostly gone by the time PP started up. Not sure why people keep insisting otherwise, when this has been known for quite some time.
(And have a great day, too! I’m assuming your prior response was insincere, but I truly hope today goes well for you, Carole – I mean, Will – er, whichever one you are.)
He should be supportive of his in-laws who I think he has a genuine good relationship with. Now, if he could just be as supportive of his brother I think we would really have something.
Indeed but Harry has stopped deferring to him and being the fall guy since he married Meghan. William has always pulled Harry’s strings and isn’t reacting well to Harry cutting them to be his own man with his own family. This is all about William losing control of his brother.
Good point, Digital Unicorn. William never wanted the competition of an independent, mature Harry.
@digitalunicorn
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, here. Will’s bad behavior could always be overlooked when Harry was thrown under the bus, and I assume he expected that it would stay that way. Instead, Harry grew up.
Thanks for all your insightful, wonderful comments!
Yes, William doesn’t like an independent Harry who is willing to stand up for himself and his wife.
William has used the press, used the press through the Middletons, and is still too stupid to see he’s been used by the Middletons for years. He isn’t a PR brainiac, but he thinks he is.
Carol is Hyacinth Bucket, read Bouquet
My mom has called my grandmother that behind her back haha. We’re Canadian but all my great aunts and my grandmother loved that show.
I don’t get this reference but I’ve seen it a few times. What show is it from?
@Beck It’s from Keeping up Appearances – a lower middle class woman who tries to “keep up with the Joneses” and puts on airs and graces: she’s particularly ashamed of her down to earth in laws, bullies her husband mercilessly, and always answers the phone as “lady of the house speaking”. She pronounces her surname ‘Bucket’ as ‘Bouquet’ to give it that special eclat.
@Jadedbrit – thanks!
Becks, if you have Netflix, it’s been on there. Check it out; it’s hysterically funny!
Oh yes!
I would have hoped the Middletons had planned for their retirement and the company having a shelf life. But I could guess that keeping up with the royals has been expensive. I do appreciate the Middletons staying out of the self promotiin game and keeping their mouths shut.
The Middleton’s have been one of the most Self promoted Royal in law families in history, except for the Boleyn’s
The Middleton kids have done books (Pipp Cashed in on connection to royalty getting $400,000 book deal) , to interviews, US, Today ,Show, Good Morning America TV Interviews , both James and Pippa discussing business.
To Interviews in the Daily Mail and various British Magazines.
Carole had a semi regular Column in London Baby magazine and another magazine.
They have promoted themselves Plenty. Let’s not pretend this family has not promoted themselves.
They have been Non stop promoting themselves since Kate brought Prince William home.
@90sgirl (Great username – fellow 90s girl here: gosh, I miss that decade!) I’d put them on a par with the Woodvilles. Even more self promoting than the Boleyns…
Thank you. This rewriting of history ignores how everyone except Mike has tried to cash in on their royal connection in the media. (Mike benefited from the discounts on Range Rovers and other things though).
Jaded Brit – I have always thought that the correct comparison (if you wanted to go historical), is Edward IV and the Woodvilles! Love it 🙂
Now I’m going to have to watch The White Queen about The Woodvilles and War of the Roses.
I think the Woodvilles and the Boleyns are both apt comparisons, except was Anne Boleyn’s mother alive? I think I’ve only read about her father and her uncle.
Duplicate
I think there are business/money issues. Probably why the London apartment was sold, and works as a tour guide instead of with his parents.
Left out James name. lol
Notice how the story about James selling Nazi party supplies has disappeared?
@notasugarhere
Into thin air, as if it had never happened… yet Turnip-Toff-gate continues and continues!
Y’all, I bet something big is going to come out soon about the Cambridges or the Middletons. These press pieces this week are just too odd, which reminds me that ol Bill has always thought he has a magic hand when it comes to controlling press when he wants to (…he doesn’t). These just ping my gossip sense lol
I totally agree. Just couldn’t find the words to say it. Something isn’t right in those households. It’s going to come out and soon because the PR genius William has screwed up the messaging with his heavy handedness.
It does feel that way; is Turnip-Toff-gate an attempt at a distraction from whatever is brewing? Is it all about PP and the Middleton’s? Or is PP just looking to hook new investors like the Moderately Wealthy James? It truly seems like something more than that, and about PP/the Middleton’s. I believe someone mentioned on this thread already that the “grey men” had put a halt to an investigation about PP previously.
I’m personally hoping for some kind of complex, intricate story that combines both the Turnip-Toff-Party-Pieces drama into one. Perhaps Wills slept with the Rural Rival and accidentally spilled the beans about PP-as-a-money-laundering-front during pillow talk?
Dare to dream!
I think he’s been having an affair and the gossip is/was about to get leaked. I don’t think its with Rose but someone else, possible someone she knows or she may have even been a go between. Whatever it is it has the Royal PR genius rattled.
Kate has put up with his wandering ‘Big Willy’ for years and she will continue to put up with it as long as he stays married to her and is discreet. People forget he had a GF when he started hooking up with Kate at St Andrews.
Her nickname for him always make me laugh, based on those paps shots that were taken of him drunkenly urinating in front of paps there is nothing ‘big’ about it. Average on a warm day. hahaha
@digitalunicorn
Of course, you’re likely correct – I think Rose is the go-between, and likely spilled the beans to the rest of the Norfolk set. (She’s already got a hot husband, and William is no prize; it’s hard for me to imagine that she’s the one he slept with…) I think William is feeling the heat trying to control this story. Kate has never been one to seem to care about his indiscretions, so long as they stay private. She was there for the ring, not his undying love and loyalty. But this seems awfully close to blowing up!
(And after he showed us all that he’s either a grower, not a show-er, or just… below average in that area… I’ve assumed Kate’s nickname for him is equal parts passive-aggressive and… overly complimentary to soothe his insecurities. But maybe I’m just hoping there’s enough spark left in her for the passive-aggressive aspect, haha.)
I may still continue to hope that PP is somehow connected to the scandal, just because… how fun would that be!
In the US a lot of steam is surfacing about reopening the Epstein case, and Pedo Andy is his best bud. Could be TQ is throwing the lot of them under the bus for her favorite baby boy. Just a thought….🤔🧐
I know Carole has always had people in the press to go to when she or Kate are involved but lately it’s been too much. And the more I think about it the more I think it might have been Carole pushing the Megan smear and William looking the other way because he can’t confront her or didn’t care. She’s the pushy mother who can’t stand when Kate is number one.
I don’t disagree with you, but I think it’s important not to forget how petulant and tantrum-prone William is; now he’s lost the ability to continously toss his younger brother under the bus when he makes mistakes AND the public attention is on H&M. He’s quite immature and childish, and doesn’t do well when he’s not the center of things. I wouldn’t let him off the hook here, I would even venture to guess that he can be and has been a nightmare of late, and begins much of this.
The Richard Kay extreme-denial piece could be from Carole, especially with the bit about how Kate has NEVER put a foot wrong etc, not like another duchess we know, etc. It may make more sense from Carole than William.
Whoever went to Richard Kay (and someone clearly did), it was a huge misstep.
The cynic in me wonders if the Matthews connection was forged so that James and his reality show brother could be royalty-adjacent in return for a hefty investment into a largely unknown, small company selling a load of plastic tat (so much for Kaiser Bill’s famed environmentalism). Because if said company is thus rescued they won’t have to open the books to public scrutiny. This jaded cynic wonders further how said plastic tat has bought them a middle/upper-middle (financially, at least) position in society, enabling Carole to prepare her daughters for society marriages a la the famous Gunning sisters, without a good few under-the-table handouts from Dodgy Uncle Gary. And finally – given that they’ve thrown the newest, heavily pregnant sister-in-law under the bus (could it be because she dared to ask one of Kate’s minions for a cup of tea? After all, “they are my staff and I shall speak to them”) how much further are they prepared to go?
Say that PP is funded in part illegally. Say that William has indeed been having an affair and has totally given a lie to the Never Complain, Never Explain rule by rushing around madly, seeking Prince Philip’s ‘wise counsel’ re the separation of courts which was of course leaked to the press, the slurs and nicknames and endless cruelties towards Meghan again leaked to the press (throughout which he has maintained a deafening silence), and that his marriage is going the way of his parents’. What media tricks will he and Ma Middleton play to maintain their smoke and mirrors, everything is rosy in the garden lifestyle?
I have been of the opinion that PP was a conduit for UG to launder money. This provided satisfaction of everyone’s needs. Carole seemed more interested in social achievement than big bling. The company should wind down gracefully now that those ambitions have been realized and William can support their retirement.
@Jaded – James looked over the moon on his wedding day so I am hard pressed to believe the marriage was arranged for access to the BRF. I see absolutely no evidence that W+K’s marriage is in any sort of trouble. They look happier than they have ever been.
Also, can post the sources where you got the information on this alleged money laundering scheme?
I don’t know about money laundering (crazier things have happened) but I agree that I think James is head over heels for Pippa. In every picture he just looks so happy to be with her.
From what I understand PP’s is made up of several shell companies where money is punted around them, thus making it legal money laundering/tax evasion which as I say is legal but from a PR PoV is dodgy as all get out and likely warrants an investigation or 2 from HMRC to check that you are paying what tax you should. Rumour has it that HMRC has tried more than once to investigate them but were told to back off by the RF ‘grey men’.
As for James and Pippa – he always had a thing for her and yeah he looked like the cat that got the canary on their wedding day. She dumped him the first time as she thought she could do better i.e. a titled and landed aristo but they all ran when they saw her coming, so she went back to him and settled for someone who was wealthy with a bought title.
This is an interesting article on how the MIddleton’s made their money: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8147929/Royal-Wedding-Middletons-money-how-was-it-made.html
@Megan Well, Diana looked over the moon on her wedding day. So did I, for that matter (MANY moons ago now – Oy vey, where do the years *go*?)… Neither ended well, though Diana lasted longer than my eleven months.
All Pure speculation, of course. I’ve no insider information, nor the pretence of it. I wonder, simply, how the Middletons managed to accrue what is reported to be such a substantial fortune from such a small and niche business. Re the marriage – the deflection in itself, coupled with Bill’s historical behaviour, lends itself to further conjecture. Because the rash of articles, vague claims of lawsuits, numerous dirt flung at Meghan, the lavish praise of Mrs Bennett – I beg your pardon, Carole Middleton, her interviews, her son’s appalling company screw ups which have mysteriously vanished off the radar and Bill’s silence-breaking in a very short space of time all speaks to some sort of desperate damage control. Or it may just be me: sleep deprivation due to furry alarm clock during the wee hours has made me more than usually jaded. (I’m @JadedBrit, by the way; there’s another @Jaded on the site, and I don’t know what their sentiments are on the matter.)
@DigitalUnicorn Thank you for sharing that link with us – pretty shady-sounding, isn’t it?! And the article was written in 2010: goodness knows what has happened over the last decade. Time for the Torygraph to do a follow up piece, regardless of the Men-In-Grey-Suits’ wishes. If they’re involved in wholesale tax avoidance, they should no more be able to get away with it than the many public figures whose finances have been splashed across every tabloid and broadsheet for all to peruse.
James had been showing interest in Pippa for years, but Pippa was on the look out for something better, and when she realised that she wasn’t going to get the type she really wanted, James was there still waiting for her, Also there were certain rumours about his habits which may have put her off him.
I’ve read speculation that Carole and Mile are separated and Mike has another in his life.
Mike has really disappeared from the press. You always hear about Carole but I can’t remember the last time you heard anything about Michael.
I think it’s safe to say the rumors that they are separated are true. I’m sure he’s expected to toe a certain line, and keep everything private, but it seems pretty clear Mike Middleton is no longer truly with Carole. I imagine that their marriage has been full of stress for its entirety – I hope he’s enjoying his freedom.
I find these rumours odd, as they appear to be together. Does anyone know who the middle aged woman was who was part of the Middleton party that attended the Sussex wedding?
The main source of their wealth was never party pieces. The source of wealth came from Michael’s great grandfather who originally left his fortune in his will to a trust. So although Michael got gbp 97,300 on his mother’s passing, he also had access to more from the trust that still exists in Leeds. The trust specified that some money should be used to pay for the descendants education. The trust funds were invested wisely in property holdings, shopping centers and later on stocks and shares.
But how much $ was also contributed by Shady Uncle Gary?
The general understanding seems to be that Mike Middleton’s inheritance was enough to pay for his own schooling, and then what small amount of the inheritance/trust was left over was nowhere near enough to send the Middleton kids to school (at least, not to the schools they went to, which Carole seemed to find necessary because they were a point of entry for the kids into the aristo-adjacenct world), nor was it enough to really get PP started (and PP hadn’t taken off by the time the Middleton kids started school); the Middleton’s relied on UG’s (totally self-made) fortune/kindness to pay for their kids’ education.
I’m not sure how much access Mike had to money beyond the initial inheritance, but whatever the case, it has never appeared to be more than a small amount that was used, in part, to help start up PP – but was far from the *only* money used for PP, and UG paid for the kids’ schooling, virtually completely. So whatever trust you speak of, this is the first I’ve heard that it was used to pay for much more than Mike Middleton’s own education.
Please correct me if I’m wrong!
This is the first I’d heard of an inheritance paying for Mike’s education – I’d always thought that that money went towards paying for the 3 kids education. Mike’s trust fund has been overstated a few times.
IIRC when Gary sold his company he made around £70 mill (I think) – so it stands to reason that he was pretty much propping up the Middleton’s, we all know he basically funded Kate during the great Prince Hunt with the understanding that he would get rewarded in some way. Gary himself has said that he didn’t mind sharing his wealth with Carole and that his mother would have wanted him to take care of the family. PP only really took off once Gary invested in it so the Mids have Gary to thank for much of what they have achieved in their lives.
There are two sources of funds. His inheritance from his mum and the funds from the trust left by his great grandfather who was a successful businessman. That is the true source of wealth. Apparently it was stipulated that money was for the education of his progeny and their children for generations to come. It’s not just Kate and her siblings who had a posh education. Her cousins also attended boarding school too. The trust still exists today but could be running low on cash. We will never know if uncle Gary bankrolled. I doubt it. If he were a partner in their business he would certainly be the majority partner. It doesn’t explain how the Middletons earned enough and bought apartments cash only. The rich don’t give their money away until death. PP did not make them rich. When comparing to similar businesses they had sales of approx 120k a year. Hardly enough to support an extravagant lifestyle.
Do a search for source of the Middleton’s wealth. Telegraph article Quite interesting. I am actually fascinated by this topic somehow.
Sorry, I confused myself in my own comment. Massive brain fart! Somehow I wrote this correctly once and then… poorly the next time. The trust paid for Mike and the Middleton kids’ educations, and only their educations, but Mike Middleton’s inheritance from his mother ended up only being around £30,000, did it not? Which did not go towards starting up PP, and does not explain the Middleton’s money situation – UG paid for both the start-up of PP and for Kate and William’s constant vacations during the Waity-ing times. UG would not have any need to be attached to PP as anything, certainly not as a majority shareholder, if he funneled the money into PP to get it started. Why would he want to be attached to it? Especially given the shadiness around PP, UG has got quite enough of that attached to him already. I don’t know what rich people you know, but UG has been very clear about his happiness to help out his sister, as @digitalunicorn commented. I know if I was suddenly worth over £70m, I would help out my family members.
Carole is looking for investors. Thats why she is blabbing all over the media.
I don’t care a bit about the Middletons’ business affairs, I’m just here to say I think it’s very nice how close William is with Kate’s family. I do think, since he was the older son he probably did hear more and knew more about how unhappy Diana was, and I feel like he has resentment towards his biological family. It kind of tugs at my heart that he seems to have found a family with them. I can’t really hate on that, it would be great if more in-law relationships could be like that. I really adored my in-laws, and I’m still close to them even though the marriage didn’t work out lol