As Kate Middleton reportedly relies on support from her close-knit family during her cancer treatment, her mother has been dealing with the collapse of the famed family party supply business that propelled the Middletons into the upper middle class and allowed so-called “commoner” Kate to move in the same social circles as her future royal husband.
Carole Middleton’s Party Pieces company went “into administration” — the British version of entering bankruptcy — last year, owing creditors some $3.2 million, according to the Times of London. Now, what’s left of Party Pieces can’t come up with the $329,000 it needs to pay the London firm handling its insolvency, The Times also reported.
That has left Carole Middleton and her husband, Michael, scrambling to deal with a series of devastating business blows. But according to reports, these concerns have not stopped the Middletons from doing all 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 believed to be a non-cancerous condition, the Middletons have been on hand to support their daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, the Times reported.
On March 22, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, announced to the world that doctors discovered after the surgery that she had cancer. She didn’t detail the type of cancer, but said she was in the early stages of chemotherapy and assured the public, “I am well and getting stronger every day.”
The Middletons live about 40 minutes away from the home of the Prince and Princess of Wales near Windsor Castle. Carole Middleton, always a hands-on grandmother, has stepped in to help look after George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5, The Times said. It’s not known how long Kate’s treatment will last or when she’ll be well enough to return to public duties.
“Carole is desperately trying to keep Catherine fully focused on her recovery,” a source told Us Weekly. “It’s a very worrying time for the family but they are not looking for any assistance from their children and don’t want them to worry.”
While Kate and her parents are known to be very close and to regularly check in with one another, talk about the business has been “off limits,” Us Weekly said.
