As Kate Middleton's mom, Carole Middleton has been around the royal family for many years now. She's a huge part of the lives of Kate, William, and their children; she's said to be a wonderful grandmother.
In fact, Carole is so important to the family that multiple reports have spoken about the close bond that she shares with Prince William. Royal biographer Andrew Morton recently explained, "For a kid from a broken home which is after all what William is, he has always yearned towards the stable and towards the steady. It’s not just Kate he’s in love with – it’s the family."
More from LittleThings: Mom Issues Warning After Her 3-Year-Old Was Bit 'Out Of Nowhere' By Coyote On The Beach
However, it seems like this was not always the case, and that Prince William's family and friends might have once thought quite differently about Carole Middleton in particular.
The time period in question dates back to the early years of Kate and William's relationship, in 2007. The pair spent time apart that year, and many believed that part of the reason the relationship was strained was that Kate felt William's elite circle of friends might never fully embrace her.
The new report states that it wasn't just Kate whom William's friends were believed to have rejected — it was also her mother. The friends reportedly made fun of Carole's former job as a flight attendant, and in 2007 a friend of William's made fun of Carole's general personality and demeanor.
A royal insider told the Mirror, "She is pushy, rather twee and incredibly middle-class. She uses words such as 'pleased to meet you', 'toilet', and 'pardon.'"
The publication says that Kate began by trying to laugh off the jokes, but that they eventually got to her.
The Mirror also points out that William loved being at Kate's family's home and felt comfortable there. Another royal insider said, "William got on well with Carole. He liked flopping down on the sofas of their Berkshire home, enjoying the normality of that."
But apparently the Queen didn't really warm to Kate's mother.
"The Queen was fond of Kate and liked her father," the insider continued. "But let's just say there was a feeling that Mrs Middleton was not right or acceptable."
A neighbor of the family also agreed with the Queen's take, saying, "Kate's a lovely girl but her parents are social climbers, ghastly people. They've only mixed with people who can help them climb the social ladder and were determined Kate would do the same. That's why they were thrilled when Kate started seeing William."
Clearly, the two worked things out, and they went on to get married in 2011 and are currently mom and dad to three children. Carole Middleton has a large and wonderful role in the lives of her grandchildren, and she is more than a member of the family these days.
