Carole Middleton is every inch the Royal mother of the bride in sky blue dress

By Sarah Bull


Royal mother of the bride: Carole Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey looking stunning in a blue Catherine Walker dress


Kate Middleton's mother Carole decided on a sky blue Catherine Walker outfit for her daughter's wedding to Prince William today, after apparently refusing to wear her specially-designed Lindka Cierach outfit at the last minute.

Carole looked stunning in the blue silk 'Sydney' day dress as she left London's Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey at 10.20 this morning and arrived at the Abbey with her son James, 23.

She teamed the dress, which featured short pleated sleeves and pleated pockets, with a blue wool crepe coatdress with matching satin piping and braid trimming at the waist and cuff.


Carole accessorised the outfit with a hat by Berkshire-based Jane Corbett.

It was reported that Mrs Middleton ditched a specially-designed outfit by Lindka Cierach, as well as a £400 hat by milliner Jess Collett just weeks before the wedding.

After four months attending many secret fittings, Kate’s mother is said to have left Ms Cierach stunned by refusing to wear it at the 11th hour.

Elegant: The outfit suited Carole's slim figure, and the sky blue colour complemented her brunette hair

Dignified: Carole exits the car at the Abbey with her son James


Mrs Middleton accused Ms Cierach, the London-based couturier best known for making the Duchess of York’s wedding dress, of being ‘unaccommodating’ and dramatically withdrew her business just weeks before the wedding.

A fashion source said Ms Cierach was ‘completely bemused after all the hard work she had put into creating the outfit’.

The couturier was commissioned soon after the announcement of the Royal engagement and asked to produce an elegant couture creation that would ensure Mrs Middleton would stand out from the crowd.

Stylish in ivory: Kate's sister Pippa looked stunning in a long ivory dress as she walked into the Abbey holding the hands of the young flowergirls

Bridal beauty: Kate waves to the crowd as she arrives at the Abbey with her father Michael


Meanwhile, Kate's sister Pippa wore an ivory V-neck long dress and looked elegant as she walked into the Abbey holding the hands of the young flowergirls.

With her hair pinned back, she looked stunning as she walked down the red carpet inside the Abbey.

All eyes were on Kate, however, as she arrived at the Abbey with her father Michael wearing a pretty lace ivory dress complete with veil and tiara.


Here come the boys: Kate's brother James and brother Gary Goldsmith (right) look smart in their suits


With her hair down, Kate epitomised vintage style in the dress, which had a long train, and carried a Lily of the Valley bouquet.

Ensuring her sister's train didn't get too dirty, Pippa held Kate up the stairs into the Abbey for the ceremony itself.


source:dailymail

Kate Middleton gets her very own coat of arms in time for Royal Wedding (and handily it can be used for the family business too)

By Richard Hartley-parkinson


Garter Principal King of Arms and Senior Herald in England, Thomas Woodcock unveils the new Coat of Arms for Kate Middleton's family


Kate Middleton today joined the ranks of nobility as her very own coat of arms was unveiled... and that could prove profitable for the family business.

The growing social status of the bride-to-be's parents has been reflected in the new insignia which will feature on the Royal Wedding souvenir programme.

In a canny move by her father, Michael Middleton, Kate's family will all be able to use the crest 'as he sees fit' including for their Party Pieces business as it was he who commissioned it.

The design released today incorporates an acorn sprig - one for each of the Middletons' three children - an idea suggested by Kate.

Kate Middleton's new coat of arms was unveiled yesterday, left, and it will appear on the back of the souvenir programme while William's will be on the front


The oak tree is a traditional symbol of England and strength, and is a feature of west Berkshire where the family have lived for more than 30 years.

At the centre of the coat of arms is an inverted 'v' or chevron coloured gold which represents Kate's mother Carole Middleton whose maiden name was Goldsmith.

Above and below this feature are white chevronels to symbolise peaks and mountains, reflecting the family's love of the Lake District and skiing.

But there are no references to the ancestors of the Middletons, made millionaires by their successful mail order business Party Pieces.

The forebears of Michael, an ex-flight dispatcher, feature successful Leeds solicitors, while his wife, a former air hostess, is descended from a long line of labourers, carpenters and Durham coal miners.


Herald painter Robert Parsons sketches the new Coat of Arms, unveiled today



The cover sheet of the souvenir Royal Wedding programme


The design can be used by the Middletons howsoever they wish and if someone else uses it they can sue them at the Court of Chivalry which, apart from a case in 1954, hasn't been convened since 1732.

Thomas Woodcock, Garter Principal King of Arms, from the College of Arms in the City of London, sat down with Kate's parents to create the design which cost £4,400.

He said: 'It's not compulsory but as their daughter is marrying into the Royal Family she will have a need probably to use a coat of arms.'

He added that Miss Middleton could have been granted her own heraldic design but her father commissioned the College in his name so all the family could use it.

Mr Woodcock added: 'The Middleton family particularly wanted acorns or oak and I think Catherine Middleton in particular was responsible for the idea of these oak sprigs.

'The idea is that great trees grow from small acorns and the part of Berkshire in which the Middletons brought up their children there are a great many oak trees so it's something they associate with the upbringing of their children.

'And in the centre you have what is known as a chevron and that has been made gold as Catherine Middleton's mother's maiden name was Goldsmith - so that's a suitable reference to her in the centre of the family.'

A version of the coat and arms which can only be used by Kate or her sister Pippa, as it denotes a Middleton spinster, will be printed on the back of the souvenir programme while William's will be on the front.

The booklet will include the wedding order of service and be available on the day of the nuptials.

Sketch: The coat of arms reflects many aspects of the life of the Middleton family

Three acorns: Kate came up with the idea to have her sister, Pippa, and brother, James reflected in the crest

Michael Middleton commissioned the crest, reportedly costing £4,400


Kate's heraldic design features a tied ribbon to show she is an unmarried woman and the overall shape is an elaborate lozenge - a shield would be used for Middleton men.

But Kate will only be able to use the coat of arms on letter headings and other items up until her wedding day on April 29.

Following the Westminster Abbey ceremony, the coat of arms of William and his fiancee will be combined - something known as 'impaled arms'.

Looking at the shield, the Prince's heraldic design will fill the left hand side and Kate's will be on the right.

Mr Woodcock added: 'With any new design of a coat of arms you have to make sure that the design is distinct not just in colour but in the linear appearance and as there is a 16th century coat of arms with a chevron between three sprigs of oak we've made the differences - dividing the background colours.'

Regent Street: One of the main shopping streets in London has had Union Jacks all the way along the road

The unveiling of the coat of arms is among the final preparations being made across the country ahead of the royal wedding

Security is tight around central London ahead of the big day with detailed searches being carried out along the route of the wedding procession


Red and blue were chosen as the Garter Principal knew Kate's coat of arms would have to be combined with William's, which feature the same shades, and the colours needed to complement each other.

Kate's brother James will be able to pass down the coat of arms to his children but Pippa, as a woman, will not but she can use it during her lifetime.

The formal legal document granting Mr Middleton his coat of arms is written on vellum parchment decorated by a herald painter with the text written by a scrivener.


source;dailymail

Oh Carole! There's only one winner when you dress like your daughter

By Amanda Platell


Seeing double: Carole Middleton shopping in a lookalike outfit to her daughter Pippa's


Holy mother-of-the bride! What does Carole Middleton think she looks like? The 56-year-old mother of three may have the enviably slim figure of a woman half her age, but surely her days of getting away with thigh-skimming flirty skirts, bare legs and trendy biker boots are long gone.

The mind boggles at what Mrs M might be planning to wear as mother of the bride at the Royal Wedding.

Let’s hope Mum doesn’t lose sight of the fact that her role is to support and complement her daughter, not compete with her.


Carole was pictured in the Daily Mail yesterday doing a little pre-wedding shopping with her younger daughter, Pippa. From behind, they could have been sisters. Both wore short skirts, flat boots and navy jackets that showed off their gym-toned bodies. From the front, it was another story.

This isn’t to say Carole doesn’t look terrific — it’s plain to see where the girls get their stunningly slender figures. But there comes a time in every woman’s life where her wardrobe has to offer a nod of acknowledgement towards her advancing years.

Not give in to them, not become boring or fuddy duddy, but accept the fact that though we may feel like a teenager at heart, we just don’t look like one any more.

To put it bluntly, dressing too young just makes a woman look older.

Walking down the street in matching outfits, Carole and Pippa looked as if they were filming an episode of the BBC series Hotter Than My Daughter — a reality show where daughters despair of their mutton-dressed-as-lamb mothers and their too sexy, too revealing, too young choice of clothes.

Such behaviour from Carole Middleton will only give ammunition to those cynics who think she is a shameless social climber. William’s more snooty friends who called out ‘Doors to manual’ every time Kate entered the room — in reference to her mother’s former career as a trolley dolly — will be having a field day.

Dressing too young: Carole, 56, wears a dress more revealing that her daughter Kate's choice


We should have seen this coming when, following the engagement announcement, Carole turned out for the world’s press in a pair of ridiculously tight skinny jeans and high-heeled boots topped off with a cropped zipper jacket that looked as though it had come straight out of the window of Topshop.

Or when she and Kate spent a day at the polo together in matching low-slung skinny jeans, hipster belts, and hers ’n’ hers designer wellies.

It’s not denim that is the problem after 50; it’s the style. Carole is constantly trying to look like Kate’s best friend, not her mother. Let’s not forget that bright orange cocktail dress (worn with a matching tangerine fake tan) she was snapped in early on in Kate and William’s relationship. It ticked all three fashion faux pas boxes: too young, too tight, too bright.

And Carole Middleton is not alone. The trend for good-looking mothers to compete with their daughters in the glamour stakes seems to be creeping into all sections of society.

It’s known as the 15/50 phenomenon — because the woman may look like a teenager from behind, but she is decidedly middle-aged from the front.

Like mother, like daughter: Carole dresses in a nearly identical outfit to Kate's for a day at the polo


Fergie is a classic example, turning her daughters Eugenie and Beatrice into mini-me clones, the poor lasses. At least Carole does have some fashion flair and a sensational figure.

Socialite Ivana Trump often dives into her daughter Ivanka’s wardrobe and looks utterly ridiculous as a result.

The trend is partly down to the fact we are constantly being told 50 is the new 40 and — let’s face it — today’s middle-aged women who keep themselves in shape are unrecognisable from how their blue-rinse mothers in their sensible shoes looked at the same age.

I was 26 when I got married and my mother was 55. She wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing the kind of clothes I wore at that age.

She was magnificently matronly in the sweetest and truest meaning of the word — dignified, mature and, most importantly, motherly.

And that’s exactly how I wanted her because she was my mother, not my friend. So many women today blur the edges and I can’t believe it helps mother or daughter. Children, especially daughters, need their mums to be role models, not fashion models.We’re told Carole is frantically dieting for the wedding. I’d have thought a far more important role for the mother of a nervous bride would be to keep Kate’s worrying weight loss in check.

Inappropriate choice: When Carole and Michael turned out for the world's press following Prince William and Kate's engagement, she wore a pair of ridiculously tight skinny jeans and high-heeled boots topped off with a cropped zipper jacket that looked as though it had come straight out of the window of Topshop


It’s yummy mummy gone mad. Young women don’t want to be competing with their mothers to see who can look the thinnest and the sexiest.

Just imagine how elegant a woman with Carole’s figure and her natural good looks could be with the right styling.

I must confess that I have a personal shopper friend to thank for saving me from a mutton misadventure not so long ago.

We were trying on clothes in an upmarket department store and I had my heart set on a beautiful, black leather biker jacket.

It fitted like a dream, but she pulled a disapproving face when I tried it on. Too tight, too expensive, too daring? ‘No darling,’ she said. ‘Too young.’

Blunt. Depressing. But true. And I would offer the same advice to Carole. It is partly insecurity, a denial of the passing of the years, that makes women dress inappropriately.

Success came late to Carole, from cabin crew to millionaire businesswoman on the back of her Party Pieces company. But she seems never to have really grown up.


Mini-mes: Sarah Ferguson similarly competes to look as glamorous as her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie


Like many of us, it’s a cruel fact of life that so often we can’t afford gorgeous clothes when we’re younger. When you have the body you don’t have the money, when you have the money you’ve lost the body — but that, I’m afraid, is life.

The danger, of course, is that when you get into your 40s and 50s you hanker for all the lovely clothes and shoes you missed out on in your youth.

But no amount of tight jeans, biker boots and leather jackets can turn back the clock and however much we may wish to recapture our 20s and 30s, it’s like juggling mercury — impossible.

I have huge sympathy for Carole Middleton — the pressure to look good must be enormous — but it’s not her role to compete with her daughter in the run-up to her wedding.

There’s only room for one shining star on that day — and it’s Kate.


source:dailymail