Carole Middleton's 'Crown' Portrayal Sparks Backlash

This article contains spoilers for The Crown Season 6, Part 2, which debuted on Netflix on Dec. 14.

Netflix's hit royal drama, The Crown has come under fire for its portrayal of Kate Middleton's mother, Carole Middleton, with some social media users labeling the character's treatment as "sexist" and "misogynistic."

The Middleton family is introduced in the show's final season for the first time. It dramatized events in the life of Queen Elizabeth II and her family from 1997 to 2005.

Kate Middleton (played by Meg Bellamy) and Prince William (Ed McVey) form a central narrative thread throughout the series' closing episodes, with their budding college romance being documented against the expected backdrop of royal dramas.

Alongside Kate, a role that casting director for the show, Robert Sterne, told Newsweek was a "big deal" to get right, her family also feature in the show, including most significantly her mother, Carole Middleton (Eve Best).

Since their daughter's relationship with William first became public, Carole and husband, Michael, have adopted the monarchy's "never complain, never explain" approach to dealing with the press and have rarely given interviews.

Here, Newsweek looks at what we know for sure about Kate's mom and the backlash received by The Crown for her portrayal.

Why Is 'The Crown' Receiving Backlash Over Its Carole Middleton Portrayal?

After The Crown debuted its final installment of episodes in its six-season run on December 14, a number of social media users posted complaints about the depiction of Carole Middleton, who is shown orchestrating her daughter's relationship with Prince William.

This is not the first time Middleton has been interpreted as a domineering matchmaker. In her 2022 book The Palace Papers, former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown described Kate's mom as having "considerable strategic flair" and concluded that Kate's "first move on the royal chessboard" in her relationship with William had "Carole's fingerprints all over" it.

The Crown's depiction, however, appears to go further, with viewers urging Middleton to "sue."

Royal commentary blogger @BirgitMarie3 posted on X, formerly Twitter: "I'm always in the 'no comment' camp, but not today: Carole Middleton should sue. #thecrown6."

"The Carole Middleton orchestration story has never made any sense and is quite literally impossible, and yet somehow people will believe it because unfortunately in this time and age, everything is taken at face value," posted another X user. "Even if the show is obviously fictional and dramatized."

Others came to Middleton's defense, with one user writing: "Misogynist writers of The Crown and the British tabloids can say what they want, this woman is a self made millionaire who is the epitome of loyalty and discretion. 0 books, podcasts, interviews or public talk about the private life of her family or her in laws."

Who Is Carole Middleton?

Carole Middleton was born Carole Elizabeth Goldsmith in West London on January 31, 1955.

She has a younger brother, Gary Goldsmith, who has become a regular feature in the U.K. press, offering comments about his niece's life.

Carole married Michael Middleton in 1980 and the couple had three children, raising their family in Berkshire, England—the county in which the royal family's Windsor Castle is located.

Was Carole Middleton an Air Hostess?

When she left school, Carole Goldsmith took up a graduate scheme with department store chain John Lewis and spent time at their flagship Peter Jones location in the heart of Chelsea in London.

After leaving the scheme she took up a job with British Airways, the nation's flagship airline, as a secretary. She soon moved to their ground crew operation, finally joining their attachment of air stewards.

During her time with the airline, Carole met Michael Middleton, who was working in the operations side of the business. After their marriage in 1980 and starting their family, the Middletons and their two young children moved to Jordan in 1984, where Michael took up a position with an international air station as an aero manager.

The family returned to Britain in 1987 where Carole gave birth to her third child, and in the same year founded her business Party Pieces.

The company sold party accessories and decorations, building over the years into a multi-million-dollar business.

Despite this, in 2023 the business was sold after falling into administration.

Who Are Carole Middleton's Children?

The Middletons have three children.

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born on January 9, 1982. She attended Marlborough College school before moving to St Andrew's University in 2001, where she met her future husband, Prince William. Together, the prince and princess have three children: Prince George, born in 2013; Princess Charlotte, born in 2015; and Prince Louis, born in 2018.

Philippa "Pippa" Charlotte Middleton was born on September 6, 1983. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, she began a career in public relations and writing. In 2017 she married hedge fund manager James Matthews. Together, the pair have three children: Arthur Matthews, born in 2018; Grace Matthews, born in 2021; and Rose Matthews, born in 2022.

James William Middleton was born on April 15, 1987. He is an ambassador for the Pets As Therapy charity and has become an advocate for mental health awareness through several media appearances. In 2021, Middleton married Alizée Thevenet who wore Carole's wedding dress to her own small-scale ceremony in France. Together the couple have a son, Inigo, born in October 2023.

What Happened to Carole Middleton?

Today, Carole and Michael Middleton live at Bucklebury Manor in Berkshire, where they spend time with their children and grandchildren.

Though Carole has occasionally undertaken interviews, she remains largely out of the public eye, despite being mother to the future queen and grandmother to the future king.

The Middletons are present at high-profile royal events. In 2022, the family attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, they also attended the Christmas carol service arranged by the Princess of Wales to celebrate communities around Britain later that same year.

In May 2023, Carole, Michael, Pippa and James were present at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

The Crown Season 6 Part 2 is available to stream now on Netflix.

Update 12/15/23, 10:47 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and a new headline.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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