Queen Elizabeth II valued the family life Kate Middleton’s parents offered Prince William, according to a former palace aide who believes their closeness resonated with the late monarch.
Ailsa Anderson, the Queen’s former press secretary, discussed Carole and Michael Middleton’s relationship with the royal family in a new profile of Carole.
The couple married in 1980 and raised Catherine, Pippa and James. They now have seven grandchildren across their three children’s families.
The profile also includes accounts from royal authors about Carole’s role during Catherine’s cancer treatment, when William was managing royal duties alongside difficulties at home.
Anderson Links the Queen’s Appreciation to Three Royal Divorces
“The Queen always wanted her children and grandchildren to be happy,” Anderson told HELLO!. She credited the Middletons with welcoming William and supporting the couple’s relationship.
In Anderson’s view, the breakdown of three of Elizabeth’s children’s marriages helped explain why the Middletons’ unity appealed to her. Princess Anne and Mark Phillips divorced in 1992. Charles and Diana, and Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, finalized their divorces in 1996.
Anderson said she thought Elizabeth appreciated William marrying into “a really close family who have stuck together through thick and thin.” She also praised Carole’s consistency as a mother and grandmother.
Carole Gave William Someone to Talk to During Catherine’s Treatment
Royal author Robert Jobson told the magazine that Carole made herself available to William when he needed someone to talk to. According to his account, she took her son-in-law to the pub, where they could sit together and discuss what he was going through.
Fellow author Ingrid Seward described Carole helping with school runs, cooking and caring for the children after William resumed public duties. She characterized Carole as someone who acted without waiting to be asked.
William later discussed the strain of both his wife and father receiving cancer diagnoses. During his 2025 appearance on The Reluctant Traveler, he told Eugene Levy that 2023 and 2024 had been the hardest period he had faced, as PEOPLE reported.
William Felt Part of the Middleton Family Before His Wedding
During his November 2010 engagement interview with Tom Bradby, William described Michael and Carole as loving, caring and fun. “I’ve felt really a part of the family,” he said, according to the transcript published by the Irish Examiner.
Catherine spoke about how much her relatives had helped her through difficult times and said she hoped to build a happy family of her own. William said he wanted her and her family to have guidance as they adjusted to royal life.
The Queen later included the Middletons in a private family gathering at Balmoral. In September 2016, she drove Carole back from a picnic in her Range Rover, with Carole in the front passenger seat.
PEOPLE reported that the visit was believed to be Carole and Michael’s first overnight stay at the castle. They also joined the royals for Sunday worship at Crathie Kirk.
William Joined His In-Laws at Royal Ascot During Catherine’s Recovery
Carole and Michael attended Royal Ascot with William on June 19, 2024, four days after Catherine appeared at Trooping the Colour. She was still receiving chemotherapy and did not join them at the races.
The Middletons also spent time with Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall. Their attendance marked their first major public appearance since their daughter’s diagnosis was announced that March.
When Carole’s heel became caught in the grass, William held her hand while she put her shoe back on. They laughed together during the mishap, which was captured in photographs from the event.
Catherine Included Her Parents in Her Chemotherapy Update
On September 9, 2024, Catherine announced that she had completed chemotherapy in a film made by Will Warr in Norfolk. Carole and Michael appeared playing cards with Catherine, William and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
In her accompanying message, Catherine described nine difficult months that had changed her perspective on family life. She said recovery would take time and that she planned to undertake a limited number of public engagements in the following months, ABC News reported. She announced that her cancer was in remission in January 2025.
In a 2021 Good Housekeeping interview, Carole said she wanted to run down hills, climb trees and join her grandchildren at the playground for as long as she could. She also described cooking, dancing and bike rides as activities they shared.