Kate Middleton: Was the princess rich before marrying William?

The Princess of Wales has been the subject of intense public attention in recent weeks due to her absence from royal engagements. This absence has fueled online speculation and conspiracy theories, with even routine activities like a visit to a local grocery store being scrutinized and analyzed by royal watchers. Despite the frenzy surrounding her, a recent survey conducted before the controversial edited Mother’s Day photo was published revealed that the Princess of Wales is the UK’s favorite royal. The poll found that 38 percent of Britons favor Kate Middleton the most among the royal family members.

Kate Middleton’s life before marrying into the British royal family has long been a subject of public curiosity. Here are some key facts about her background and upbringing:

Kate was born on January 9, 1982, in Reading, England, to Carole and Michael Middleton. She has two younger siblings, Pippa and James. Despite coming from a wealthy family, Kate’s origins were not particularly humble.

Her father, Michael Middleton, was born into a wealthy family with aristocratic connections and attended the prestigious Clifton College in Bristol. On the other hand, her mother, Carole Middleton (née Goldsmith), had a more modest upbringing, raised in a council flat in Southall, London, with her grandfather being a miner from the northeast.

Kate received a private education and later attended the University of St Andrews, where she famously met and began dating Prince William. Before that, however, her story began in her early years, shaped by the contrasting backgrounds of her parents’ families.

While details of her childhood remain relatively private, it is clear that Kate’s life took a significant turn when she entered the royal spotlight through her relationship and eventual marriage to Prince William.

Carole Middleton, the mother of Kate Middleton, had a career as a flight attendant for British Airways, where she met her husband, Michael, who was a commercial pilot. They tied the knot in 1980 at the Church of St James in Dorney, Buckinghamshire.

The Middleton family’s wealth has been a subject of debate, with Carole’s brother, Gary Goldsmith, recently addressing claims that Kate was from a “common” background during his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. On March 6th, Goldsmith revealed that both he and his sister Carole had become multi-millionaires before the age of 30.

Goldsmith stated, “We’re humble stock – dad was a painter and decorator, mum was an accounts clerk, so they worked hard.” He expressed his frustration when people labeled Kate as “common,” asserting that there was nothing common about their family’s background.

Carole and Michael Middleton are the parents of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. In 1987, five years after Kate’s birth, they established their own business venture called ‘Party Pieces,’ which specialized in creating party bags. Carole recognized the potential for profit in this niche market.

The family’s substantial wealth is believed to have originated from the success of Party Pieces. This allowed the Middletons to provide their three children with an education at the prestigious Marlborough College and accumulate an impressive property portfolio, including a Chelsea flat and a £4.7 million Grade II-listed mansion in Berkshire, known as Bucklebury Manor.

Despite their royal family connections, the Middleton’s business, once valued at an estimated £30 million in 2011 according to the Daily Mail, faced challenges during the pandemic. Consequently, the couple made the decision to sell their lifelong venture after it collapsed into administration in May 2022.

Currently, reports from The Sun suggest that Carole and Michael Middleton have a combined net worth exceeding £54 million, reflecting their substantial financial success over the years.

Kate Middleton, the eldest of the Middleton siblings, grew up in Bucklebury, Buckinghamshire, and attended Marlborough College, an independent boarding school. She obtained a degree in History of Art from the University of St Andrews in 2001, where she met Prince William.

Prior to becoming the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate established herself in the fashion industry, working as a part-time accessory buyer for Jigsaw. Additionally, she contributed to her parents’ business, Party Pieces, where she pursued her passion for photography, assisting with catalog design and marketing, as reported by Town and Country Magazine.

Before her royal status, Kate shared an apartment valued at over £1 million with her sister Pippa, which was purchased by their parents, according to Cosmopolitan.

Since marrying into the royal family, Kate’s finances are shared with her husband, Prince William. He inherited approximately £10 million upon the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and an additional £7 million after the passing of the Queen Mother in 2002, as reported by the Daily Mail.

The royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, along with their three children, George (10), Charlotte (8), and Louis (5), enjoy substantial financial benefits from inheriting the Duchy of Cornwall. This vast estate encompasses a property portfolio and investments with assets valued at a staggering £1.2 billion. Additionally, in 2022, Kate Middleton’s personal net worth was estimated to be around £7.8 million by Cosmopolitan magazine.

Gary Goldsmith, Kate’s 58-year-old uncle, has gained notoriety as a self-made millionaire and a ‘playboy’ figure. He grew up alongside his older sister Carole in a council house in Hounslow. After leaving school, he began his career as an IT operator before joining an IT recruitment company, Computer Futures, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become a director.

In 2005, Gary Glitter, a former British pop singer, reportedly made £17 million when he sold his shares in a company. He subsequently made lavish purchases, including a villa in Ibiza, sports cars, and a yacht. The villa, known as “Maison de Bang Bang,” was said to have his initials “GG” emblazoned on the wall, along with a mural that read: “It’s Gary’s world, you just live in it.” Despite a brief appearance on the reality show Celebrity Big Brother, where he was the first contestant to be voted out by the public, his net worth is estimated to be around £30 million.

Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of Kate Middleton, gained public attention after her role as the Maid of Honor at the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate in 2011. In May 2017, she married billionaire James Matthews, a hedge fund manager and the older brother of Spencer Matthews, a former cast member of the reality show Made in Chelsea.

The couple, Pippa Middleton and James Matthews, met at the exclusive Eden Rock hotel on the Caribbean island of St. Barts, which is owned by James’s parents. Pippa graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in English literature. In 2012, she released a book on social etiquette and party hosting called “Celebrate,” which received poor reviews. Four years later, she published a cookbook titled “Heartfelt” and contributed as a columnist to the Waitrose Weekend magazine until 2019 when her column was discontinued. The couple has three children together: a son named Arthur, aged five, and two daughters, Grace, aged three, and Rose, aged one. According to estimates by The Sun, Pippa Middleton’s net worth is approximately £43 million. James Middleton, the youngest sibling at 36 years old, attracts less media attention than his older sisters. He is a self-proclaimed dog lover who has inherited the entrepreneurial spirit from his parents.

After working for the family business, the youngest sibling launched his own venture, the Cake Kit Company, which sold DIY-themed baking kits to customers. However, the company dissolved in 2015. Subsequently, the youngest also invested in a personalized gift business, Boomf, and later founded Ella & Co, a high-quality dog-food company.

According to a report in the Evening Standard, the business has faced significant losses in the past year, with assets plummeting from £334,591 to £92,510 over that period.

In 2021, James married French financial analyst Alizee Thevenet, and they welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Inigo, in October 2023.

James has an estimated wealth ranging between £3 and £5 million, according to Berkshire Live.