Kate Middleton may have missed the Royal Ascot horse races due to ongoing cancer treatment, but her parents Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton were in attendance. At one point during the event on June 19, 2024, Carole shared a sweet moment with Prince William, as he assisted his mother-in-law with getting her shoe back on after it was lodged into the soil, per People. 

The pair shared a laugh about the footwear mishap. This meeting at the Royal Ascot was notable because not only did it come after “The Crown” had depicted Carole as plotting Kate’s marriage to William, but it was also the Middleton’s first royal appearance since news broke that Kate’s parents had suffered a major financial setback.

Carole sold her party planning business, Party Pieces, in May 2023 after founding the company back in 1987. In June 2023, the Daily Mail reported that the company took a hit after Kate’s mom took a more passive role.

 “Carole believes in accountability and accepts she had been a little naive to step back and trust someone else to run the business,” a source said. At the time, Carole was seeking a buyer for Party Pieces to not only take over, but to take on the company’s debts.

Later, it was reported the company struggled to pay back what was owed. The Times revealed in March 2024 that Party Pieces owed $330,000 to the company that covered their $3.3 million insolvency. At the time, Carole was dealing with financial issues while also being supportive to Kate during her health woes.

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