Ever since her eldest daughter, Kate (now the Princess of Wales), began dating a young Prince William, we've admired Carole Middleton for her style, elegance and close knit family.
While she might now be a part of the world's most privileged and famous families, Carole is originally from very humble beginnings. We must say however, that Carole and her husband Michael have adjusted rather well to royal life.
Our favourite Carole Middleton dresses
She's become somewhat of a style icon over recent years, so we've put together a gallery of some of our favourite Carole Middleton dresses and outfits from over the years.
Carole looked fantastic at the Coronation of King Charles III. She wore a Royal blue fitted coat dress paired with a matching headband and neutral heels. If you loved Carole's look and want to recreate it, we've found a lovely dupe you might like for your next event.
www.marksandspencer.com
Description
If Carole's inspired you to wear some blue at your next event, then this stylish occasion dress from Hobbs (stocked at M&S) features a swirling pleated skirt to make it super flattering on your bottom half. It fits close at the waist and flares out with a midi length. The top wraps around the body to create an elegant v-neckline and the long sleeves, feature smart buttoned cuffs.
Carole Middleton dresses
1 of 8Carole Middleton attends the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine
We love the outfit Carole wore to the wedding of her daughter Kate to Prince William back in 2011 at Westminster Abbey.
2 of 8Carole Middleton and James Middleton at the wedding Of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews
Carole knows a thing or two about finding the perfect mother of the bride outfit and she wowed us again at her daughter Pippa's wedding in this powder pink coat dress.
3 of 8Carole Middleton at Wimbledon 2019 at the Men's Final Day
And it's not just formal dressing Carole can do, here she is at Wimbledon in 2019 with a smart yet relaxed shirt dress, perfect for the summer season.
4 of 8Carole Middleton at Wimbledon Day 11
Another Wimbledon look from Carole was this long red dress she wore paired with a straw hat and classic summer espadrilles.
5 of 8Carole Middleton at Royal Ascot 2012
Red is a colour that really suits Carole, here she is at Ascot in 2012 wearing a bold red coat dress with matching hat.
6 of 8The Wedding Of Lady Gabriella Windsor
Attending the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor, Carole wore this neutral dress and jacket combo with matching hat for a real chic, classic look.
7 of 8Carole Middleton at Wimbledon 2017
You can't go wrong at Wimbledon wearing a classic white dress. In 2017, Carole wore this chic white dress featuring simple cap sleeves.
8 of 8Carole Middleton at wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan
We loved this duck egg blue coloured dress, coat and matching fascinator outfit which Carole wore to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan.
Carole's early life and marriage
Brought up in Southall, London, Carole attended state schools throughout her childhood before leaving school and working as a secretary. She soon left her job as a secretary to become a flight attendant for British Airways. It was during this time that Carole met Michael who also worked for British Airways at the time.
Carole's family are from very working-class backgrounds. Her dad was a builder and her mum worked part time in a jewellers. It's reported that many of her paternal family members were coal miners.
There has been a lot of speculation around Carole Middleton's religion, with many political commentators and historians claiming she is Jewish. However, in recent years, Doreen Berger, the chairman of the Jewish Genealogy Society has claimed that this is not true. It's likely, Carole follows the Christian faith as we also know that Carole and Michael got married in a Christian church and all three of their children were baptised in a church.
Carole's business
In 1987, Carole began her business, Party Pieces. The company started selling party bags and now sells party supplies too. The business, which Carole claims she simply started at the kitchen table, was a success, and in 1989, Micheal quit his job to start working with Carole for Party Pieces as it grew in size. The business is now set to be worth over an estimated £30 million.
The Middleton family
Carole and Michael married June 21, 1980 in Buckinghamshire before buying a house together in Berkshire. The pair went on to have three children. Catharine, born January 1982, Philippa, born September 1983 and James Middleton, born April 1987.
In 1984, the family moved to Jordan for a short while until 1986 when they returned to the UK. In 1995, the family moved to a large family home in Bucklebury.
While Carole came from rather humble beginnings, her husband Michael has a wealthy, aristocratic background with links to Baroness Airedale. Michael's mum was a code-breaker in the Second World War and his father, Captain Peter Middleton served as an RAF fighter Pilot in World war two.
In 2011, Carole and Michael watched their eldest daughter, Catherine, marry Prince William at Westminster Abbey. Now mother and father to the Princess of Wales, they're also grandparents to our future King, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Their younger daughter, Pippa is now married to James Matthews. The pair got married in 2017 near to the Middleton family home. The couple now have three children together, a son born in 2018, named Arthur Michael William, a daughter, Grace Elizabeth Jane born 2021 and a second daughter, Rose Louise Victoria in 2022.
Their son, James Middleton married his now wife, Alizée Thevenet in September 2021 after they were forced to postpone their wedding due to Covid. Their wedding was held in France and his wife wore the dress worn by James' mother Carole at her wedding in the 80s.
