While Kate Middleton reportedly relied on the support of her close-knit family during her cancer treatment, her mother faced the collapse of the famous family party supply business that propelled the Middletons into the upper middle class and allowed to the so-called “commoners” Kate will move in the same social circles as her future royal husband.
Carole Middleton’s company Party Pieces was “placed into administration” – the UK’s version of bankruptcy – last year, owing creditors some $3.2 million, according to the Times of London. Now Party Pieces can’t raise the $329,000 it needs to pay the London company handling its insolvency, the Times also reported.
That left Carole Middleton and her husband, Michael, scrambling to deal with a series of devastating blows. But according to reports, those concerns haven’t stopped the Middletons from doing everything they can to help their daughter and her husband, Prince William, deal with her health crisis. Since Kate underwent surgery in January for what was initially thought to be a non-cancerous illness, the Middletons have been on hand to support their daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, the Times reported.
On March 22, Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced to the world that doctors had discovered after surgery that she was suffering from cancer. She did not detail the type of cancer, but said she was in the early stages of chemotherapy and assured the public, “I’m doing well and getting stronger every day.”
The Middletons live about 40 minutes from the Prince and Princess of Wales’ home, near Windsor Castle. Carole Middleton, still an active grandmother, stepped in to help care for George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5, the Times said. It is unclear how long Kate’s treatment will last or when she will be well enough to return to public duties.
But despite Kate’s cancer ordeal, Carole Middleton is determined to keep her daughter from worrying about the problems at the family business, Us Weekly reported.
“Carole is desperately trying to keep Catherine fully focused on her recovery,” a source told Us Weekly. “This is a very worrying time for the family, but she is not looking for any help from her children and does not want them to worry.”
Although Kate and her parents are known to be very close and check in regularly, talking about the business is “off limits,” Us Weekly said.
“It’s a stressful time right now and (Carole) will do everything she can to protect her daughter from this,” said royal commentator Afua Hagan. “Party Pieces collapsed and it was devastating for the family, but Carole will be more concerned about Kate’s well-being at this time.”
Kate’s siblings, James and Pippa Middleton, also gave her emotional support, the Times reported.
Carole Middleton, a former British Airways flight attendant, launched Party Pieces in 1987, a company making children’s birthday party bags. She started her business “at her kitchen table”. While Party Pieces also sold party supplies and decorations, her husband, a former British Airways flight dispatcher, joined the business. The company reportedly made the couple multi-millionaires and allowed them to purchase a luxury home worth $6.5 million in Berkshire, in the English countryside.
Michael Middleton, however, also came from a wealthy Yorkshire family, and it is believed that Middleton’s family trusts enabled him and his wife to send Kate to the elite prep school, the Marlborough College, which led her to attend the University of St. Andrews in Scotland where she met William, the Telegraph reported.
Carole Middleton stepped away from day-to-day running of Party Pieces in 2019, becoming a brand ambassador for the company, as a new management team was put in place, the Times said. But the business struggled when children’s parties were canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and suffered a significant loss of $316,000. Carole Middleton returned to help run the company as it sought a rescue deal in spring 2023. The company was sold earlier this year for about $225,000 to a company that manages a portfolio of businesses for children, the Times also reported.
One person who doesn’t have much sympathy for the Middletons’ plight, at least as far as their business is concerned, is small business owner Mohamad Pardis, who was one of Party Pieces’ product suppliers, the London Times also reported. Pardis, an Afghan refugee and owner of a helium supply company, said the Middletons’ inability to pay their creditors means he likely won’t see the $25,000 he is owed. This amount is equivalent to one year’s profits.
“I thought I was in good hands and could trust the royal family. I’m completely shocked,” Pardis told the Times. “(Carole Middleton) should pay us out of her own pocket. She lives in a £5 million house, so it’s almost nothing to them, but to me it’s my benefit for a year.
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