How the Middletons have become a ‘core part’ of royal life for the Prince and Princess of Wales

Since Kate Middleton married into the royal family and joined The Firm in 2011, she has remained incredibly close to her parents Carole, 67, and Mike, 73.

The parents of three children, who live in Berkshire, attended the Queen’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey and the wedding service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on Monday to pay their respects to Her Majesty.

Over the years, the Middletons have been invited to family events, including the christening of their three grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The Princess of Wales, 40, has always been close to her mother Carole, 67 (mother and daughter pictured at Royal Ascot, 2017)

It is not known how many times they met Her Majesty, but the couple have cemented themselves in the family over the years through their attendance at both family and royal events.

In June, the pair were spotted at the party at the palace for the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations after speculation about whether or not they would attend.

While the royal family united at the state funeral to mourn the Queen, the Princess of Wales was a rock to her two eldest children, who attended the services.

And while Prince William fulfilled his role as Her Majesty’s grandson, walking behind her coffin as part of the procession, Kate would have been grateful to have her parents around as a source of comfort when she and the children needed them. had.

The Prince and Princess of Wales recently moved the family from Kensington Palace in London to Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate, and they have just started a new school year at Lambrook School in Berkshire.

Carole and Mike Middleton, who live in Berkshire, are now much closer with their daughter Kate and grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who moved into Adelaide Cottage in Windsor this summer.

Being in Windsor makes the family much closer to Carole and Mike, who play a key role in the lives of their grandchildren.

Last year, party shop owner Carole gave a glimpse into her family Christmas with her daughter Kate and the grandchildren, describing the “really stupid” antics they throw out.

She took to Instagram to share a photo of two Scandinavian-style gnomes sold by her party company, Party Pieces.

Captioning the celebratory photo, she captioned: “I’m going to need some of these sassy guys in December to hide in the house and make my grandkids laugh. As much as I love immaculate decorations, we can’t be too serious at Christmas!’

She added, “I love making Christmas fun and exciting for my grandkids, and that’s what our Silly Santa adaptation is for!”

Carole has also hinted in the past that she doesn’t spoil the kids at Christmas, preferring thoughtful gifts, arguing ‘the smallest gifts can be the most fun’.

The mother of three has also previously revealed how she keeps the grandchildren entertained by encouraging them to start gardening.

She said Saga magazine last year: ‘When I’m planting with my grandkids, I like to have it all at ‘activity stations’ with their own spade and pot so they can get to work right away.’

She added: “It’s important for kids to grow up with an appreciation for nature and part of that is that they can get a little muddy.”

As a mother, Kate seems to like to keep her children in touch with her own upbringing, which was reflected in the family holiday from Wales to Jordan last summer.

The Prince and Princess of Wales took Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princess Louis on holiday to a place where Kate herself spent part of her childhood when Mike, a former British Airways flight coordinator, worked in Amman.

In a family portrait released last year as Wales’ Christmas card, Kate, William and the kids posed for a photo during their family holiday.