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Prince William may ‘rewrite the fabric of the monarchy’ to give Kate’s parents a greater role, royal experts have claimed.
A new Channel 5 documentary explores the influence that Carole and Michael wield within the ‘inner sanctum’ of the royal family and asks the question: should the Middletons be given titles?
Airing on Saturday, the show explores the idea that Carole and Michael Middleton could counteract the ‘reputational chaos’ inflicted by Andrew.
The Daily Mail’s Sarah Vine said: ‘In the 21st century, royalty is about how you behave. It’s not a given. And if the royal family is anything in this day and age, it’s to set an example. It’s to uphold certain standards and Andrew broke those rules and so he’s no longer there.
‘But it means that a door is open to other people becoming royal through their behaviour.’
And royal commentators believe William could give his in-laws the royal seal of approval while counting on their ‘stability, decency, British values, and sense of humour’ to navigate the crisis surrounding his uncle’s friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
To make Carole and Michael working royals, William would have to ‘completely rewrite the entire fabric of the monarchy’, said Newsweek’s chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston.
‘But the guy does say he wants change. Anything is possible,’ he added.
One of the most telling clues about the Middletons’ importance in Kate and William’s family life came from their daughter’s emotional video message about her cancer journey.
Prince William may ‘rewrite the fabric of the monarchy’ to give Kate’s parents a greater role, royals experts have claimed
A new Channel 5 documentary explores the influence that Carole and Michael wield within the ‘inner sanctum’ of the royal family and asks the question: should the Middletons be given titles?
Kate, who is in remission from an undisclosed form of cancer, announced she had completed chemotherapy treatment in a three-minute-long clip that was unprecedented for the royal family.
It was emotional and vulnerable, as footage showed William and Kate spending quality time in Norfolk with their three children – and Carole and Michael.
The trio could be seen cuddling their grandparents and playing card games around the dinner table, but no other members of the royal family appear in the clip.
‘It just goes to show the influence that that family has on William, and how much he loves and respects them, that he doesn’t want them to be out of the loop in his family unit,’ said Jo Elvin, the host of Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential, in the new documentary.
The Prince of Wales is said to have ‘adopted’ his wife Kate’s family soon after he started dating her in the early 2000s – and Carole is now an indispensable part of the Wales’ close-knit family unit.
The Middletons have also always made it clear that Kate’s marriage to William meant ‘they were gaining a son’, according to royal biographer Katie Nicholl.
Since his marriage to Kate in April 2011, their bond has only been strengthened further as the Middletons have become instrumental in giving their three grandchildren as normal an upbringing as possible.
Last year, The Times reported that Kate and William’s oldest child, and future heir to the throne, George loves helping out with errands at home.
One Windsor resident told the newspaper how they bumped into the young prince with Carole Middleton at a fabric shop ‘where he was happily eating orange segments’ while his ‘granny’ picked out samples.
‘They just seem to have this aura of kindness, and I think that the Middletons are very much that safety net,’ Ms Vine told Channel 5.
The documentary revisits Princess Diana’s visit to Thorpe Park with William and Harry in 1993. Archival footage of the family’s day out showed the trio queuing for their turn for a popular ride after Diana insisted they wait like everybody else.
Like his mother, who tragically died four years later, William wants his children to have a ‘happy, healthy, stable home’.
In an interview with Eugene Levy, William said: ‘For me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future.
And if you don’t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time, and a fall.’
William has reiterated that his family remains his priority as royal experts suggested the children’s upbringing is closer to Kate’s childhood at home in Berkshire than his own in Buckingham Palace.
‘You feel that he’s determined to give those kids as normal a background as he can possibly give them because he did not have one,’ said American-British playwright Bonnie Greer.
‘And I think that’s the Middleton effect.’
It has also helped Kate navigate her life as Britain’s future Queen, with Ms Nicholl suggesting her ‘sensible, loving family’ grounded her as she learnt the royal ropes.
Photos of the late Queen taking the Middletons for a spin in her Range Rover during their time at Balmoral in 2016 cemented their status as ‘quasi royals’ with a special place among the upper echelons of The Firm.
They were also invited to stay at Balmoral Castle rather than one of the other houses on the estate, as a source told the Daily Mail’s editor-at-large, Richard Kay, that ‘this was William’s idea’.
The Prince of Wales is said to have ‘adopted’ his wife Kate’s family soon after he started dating her in the early 2000s – and Carole is now an indispensable part of the Wales’ close-knit family unit
‘He very much wanted his grandmother to make them especially welcome,’ a source told the Daily Mail’s editor-at-large, Richard Kay. ‘They were at the top of a very long guest list.’
Royal experts interviewed by Channel 5 also said Carole and Michael’s discretion during Kate and William’s brief break-up did not go unnoticed by senior palace aides and family members.
Moreover, their discretion in the run-up to William and Kate’s royal wedding made them ‘more popular than ever’ within the halls of Buckingham Palace.
Most crucially, they have avoided scandal and controversy despite being thrust into the spotlight as Ms Vine told Channel 5: ‘They really haven’t messed up at all.’
But could they become working royals themselves?
Experts suggested William’s desire for a changed monarchy means ‘anything is possible’ – especially in the aftermath of ex-Duke of York Andrew’s disgrace.
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last year and is currently being investigated for misconduct in public office over allegations he exploited his role as UK trade envoy to leak confidential information to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
His dramatic downfall, capped by his sensational arrest last week, will see the disgraced royal retreat to his new home on the Sandringham Estate with nothing more than a chef and a lone valet.
He has previously denied any wrongdoing over his friendship with Epstein.
The Middletons: Should They Be Working Royals? airs on Channel 5 this Saturday at 9.15pm
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