He may have once been described as the ‘quietest member of the Middleton family’, but this didn’t stop him from receiving a standing ovation for his speech at his daughter’s wedding.
Michael Middleton, the father of Catherine, the Princess of Wales, turns 76 today and, as is his nature, is likely to celebrate quietly, away from the public eye.
While Michael and Kate’s mother, Carole, generally maintain a low profile, the public has occasionally been granted glimpses into their lives.
Katie Nicholl, a former royal correspondent for the Mail on Sunday, wrote in her book, William and Harry, that Michael and Carole met while they were working for British Airways as ground crew.
‘Carole is a go-getter who knows what she wants and usually gets it.
‘Yes, she likes the fine things in life, but she and Michael have worked hard to get them.
‘When they dine in Mustique and she hears a plane coming into land, she puts on her best air hostess voice and announces the flight name and landing time – it’s very funny.
‘Michael is a man of fewer words, but you can tell he adores his family,’ she wrote.
‘He always sits at the head of the table and you can see his delight as he listens to his children chat about their recent adventures.’
Carole established Party Pieces, a company making party bags in 1987, and by 1995 was managed by both Michael and Carole.
The Middletons’ business was successful at that time though later collapsed.
Along with trust funds inherited by Michael from his aristocrat grandmother, Olive Christiana Middleton, the business enabled the family to continue the Middleton family tradition of sending their children to board at independent schools.
All three children were sent to St Andrew’s School, Pangbourne, and both daughters were sent to Downe House School, a girls’ boarding school in Cold Ash, and Marlborough College, in Wiltshire.
The British press created the term Upper Middleton Class to describe the family’s social position.
During an episode of the podcast Dynasty: The Royal Family’s Most Challenging Year, Nicholl described Michael as a ‘really wonderful’ father-in-law to William.
‘I know they have a close relationship, and that William will often turn to Michael for advice,’ she said.
‘He has a great sense of humour and I think he’s someone who is a cool head in a crisis.’
Michael has rarely spoken publicly about his son-in-law, William, but royal observers caught a glimpse of their relationship in his speech at his daughter’s wedding.
Nicholl said: ‘I always remember his father-of-the-bride speech on the wedding day and how he had everyone at the tables just in fits of laughter when he was recounting the story of William, who was training at the time as a helicopter pilot, buzzing in on the Middleton family home and sweeping in on his helicopter,’ she said.
‘Obviously, as a father, thinking, “What on earth is going on here?” while simultaneously realising this was the future king of England really courting his daughter in a pretty spectacular way.’
Michael also delivered an emotive speech for his youngest daughter, Pippa, on her wedding day in 2017.
Nicholl added that the closeness of the Middletons led to jokes among royal correspondents.
‘They would always stick together. They were a very tight unit and they’re still the same today.’
Nicholl’s co-host Erin Vanderhoof added that the Middletons had given Prince William ‘a normalcy’ that was previously lacking in his life.
‘I think, as kind of a man as King Charles is, he was not necessarily the warmest, most open person,’ she said.
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Speaking of the father of the bride’s speech at Kate’s wedding, one guest said: ‘Mike’s speech was all about Kate, and he did very, very well – what a difficult speech to do, but it was very well delivered.
‘He talked about her childhood, how the couple met and what a wonderful couple they make.’
At the royal wedding, Michael told guests: ‘Today was everything I had hoped for and I’m thrilled that equality ruled the day.
‘Everybody appears as equal and our two families joining together has been an easy process.
‘I thank the Royal Family for welcoming us as easily as they have.’
And this wasn’t the only time we got a glimpse at William’s close relationship with his father-in-law.
On the day of William and Kate’s wedding, Michael held his daughter’s arm as she walked towards her husband-to-be and future King.
‘We’re supposed to have just a small family affair,’ William joked to his father-in-law, Nicholl wrote in her 2013 book, Kate: The Future Queen.
The day was a grand celebration and certainly not a ‘small family affair’ as William had quipped.
William’s joke perhaps suited his nervous father-in-law’s sense of humour as in less formal settings, he is reportedly known to enjoy making people laugh.
‘My father has developed this funny tradition of surprising us at some point by appearing in fancy dress,’ Michael’s daughter, Pippa Middleton, previously told The Spectator.
‘He buys a new costume each year and typically gets a bit carried away. A couple of Christmases ago, he appeared in an inflatable sumo outfit.’
Writing for Vanity Fair in April 2011, Nicholl wrote: ‘He affectionately calls Kate’s father Mike and on occasion Dad.
‘Because they do everything together, friends call them the En Masse Middletons.
‘They are a close knit family, which is one of the reasons William loves spending time with them and has joined his future in-laws on several trips.’
A friend of the family told the author: ‘William loves his holidays with the Middletons because they are so relaxed.
‘He’s always saying how much fun Carole is. She’s very young in spirit and a great entertainer.’
Nicholl said the Middletons surround themselves with a ‘very loyal circle of friends’ who they trust not to divulge secrets about the Wales’ family, which is why not much is known about what goes on behind closed doors.
However, she revealed Michael and the rest of the family had been on hand to help out during Kate’s cancer recovery.
‘They’ve been an anchor for her, more so now than ever before.’
While glimpses into William’s relationship with his father-in-law are few and far between, it is clear that Michael has become a role model to the future King behind the scenes.
