King Charles III and Carole Middleton at Royal Ascot in June 2025.
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The Gist
Carole Middleton reportedly has a “very close” relationship with King Charles.
The duo officially became in-laws after their respective children tied the knot in April 2011.
They also share three grandchildren: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
It’s no secret that King Charles and Kate Middleton bonded over the news of their dual cancer diagnoses in 2024. It was the “hardest year” ever experienced by the royal family, according to Prince William; since then, the Princess of Wales has announced she is in remission, and the monarch’s treatment has likewise entered a “precautionary phase.” Throughout that difficult period, the royal family was able to lean on one duo in particular: Carole and Michael Middleton.
Carole and Michael Middleton arriving at St. Mary’s Hospital for the birth of Prince George in 2013.
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“The real anchors in [Kate’s] life are her parents [Carole and Michael Middleton], and her brother James and her sister Pippa,” royal expert Katie Nicholl once told Entertainment Tonight. “While you certainly don’t see them photographed together very often, they are very much there in the background … They are absolutely fundamental.”
As the parents of Kate, Carole and Michael were “welcomed into the royal fold,” says Nicholl, after she and Prince William tied the knot in April 2011. Since then, fans have enjoyed glimpses, every now and then, of their special connection as both in-laws and grandparents. When it comes to Carole and King Charles in particular, their bond has been on display at Royal Ascot as well as at Sandringham. Ahead, here’s everything you need to know about how Carole Middleton has become close with King Charles in the years since their children wed.
They became in-laws in April 2011.
Queen Elizabeth II with Carole Middleton and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding.
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On April 29, 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton made their decade-long partnership official when they said “I do” at Westminster Abbey in front of approximately 1,900 guests. From that point on, the groom’s father Charles and his stepmother Camilla were officially Middleton’s in-laws, and vice versa. The families celebrated with the aforementioned lavish ceremony, followed by a 600-person reception at Buckingham Palace and a 300-person dinner hosted by the Prince of Wales.
Notably, the mother of the bride wore a baby blue crepe coat dress to the ceremony courtesy of one of Princess Diana’s favorite designers: Catherine Walker. Camilla, for her part, donned an Anne Valentine number (she also tapped the Brit for her outfit at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018).
They share three grandchildren.
King Charles with Prince William and Kate Middleton and their three children during Trooping the Colour in 2025.
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Two years after their lavish nuptials, Prince William and Kate Middleton welcomed their first son, Prince George; the couple’s parents thus became grandparents for the first time. Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis followed in 2015 and 2018, respectively.
“It’s a different part of your life,” Charles once said of becoming a grandparent, per People. “The great thing is to encourage them, show them things to take their interest. My grandmother did that, she was wonderful. It is very important to create a bond when they are very young.”
As for the Middletons, one palace insider previously told People that “[Kate’s] parents are an enduring factor in the upbringing of their grandchildren.”
They both seem to love Royal Ascot.
Queen Camilla, Lord Nicholas Soames, King Charles, and Carole Middleton at Royal Ascot in 2025.
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In June 2025, Kate Middleton surprised royals fans by withdrawing last minute from Royal Ascot. Carole, however, did make an appearance, and was spotted having a rather fabulous time with both King Charles and Prince William in the royal box.
Carole was also joined by her son James’s wife Alizee Thevenet. Their appearance further cemented the fact that the Middletons have been “very, very welcomed into the royal fold,” per royal expert Katie Nicholl, who shared as much with The Sun.
The Middletons have been “welcomed into the royal fold.”
Carole and Michael Middleton at St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham in January 2017.
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Speaking of the royal family’s embrace of the Middletons, royal expert Katie Nicholl also noted that the in-laws “have a very close relationship,” adding that Carole and Michael “had a lovely relationship with the late Queen.”
“The Middletons have been so pivotal and important this year,” she said in December 2024, referencing Kate’s battle with an undisclosed form of cancer. The Princess of Wales announced she was in remission in January 2025; King Charles, meanwhile, is still undergoing cancer treatments, though they have been “reduced” and moved to a “precautionary phase” as of 2026.
Read the original article on InStyle