Carole Elizabeth Middleton (née Goldsmith), born on 31 January 1955 in Perivale, London, is an English businesswoman and the mother of Catherine, Princess of Wales. Raised in Southall, she worked as a secretary and flight attendant for British Airways before marrying Michael Middleton in 1980. In 1987, she founded Party Pieces, a mail-order party-supply company that started at her kitchen table, but the business collapsed into administration in May 2023, leaving £2.6 million in debts. Her daughter Catherine married Prince William in 2011, making Carole the grandmother of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, who are second, third, and fourth in line to the British throne. The family resides at Bucklebury Manor in Berkshire, and her husband's coat of arms includes a gold chevron referencing her maiden name, Goldsmith. From humble beginnings in council housing, she built a successful enterprise and became a prominent figure in British public life through her daughter's royal marriage.