Carole Middleton has always been Kate's 'rock' as 'unflappable' family matriarch

Carole Middleton has reportedly "always" been Kate’s "rock" as her family's "unflappable" matriarch.

From the moment the Princess of Wales was thrust into the royal spotlight her mum Carole Middleton has been by her side supporting her throughout all the ups and downs. Carole has been described as "indispensable" when it comes to helping out when Prince George, Charlotte and Louis were young. It’s now been suggested that Carole has "always been" her daughter’s rock thanks to her "strength". Opening up to Hello! about their mother-daughter bond, royal expert and author Ingrid Seward suggested that Carole’s support has been more important than ever over the past year when Kate underwent cancer treatment.

"Carole has always been a rock for Kate, especially this past year - she's been amazing. I have met her a couple of times and the word that keeps coming back to me is 'strength'," Ingrid said. "I imagine her as a sort of pioneer woman driving a wagon with a rifle at her feet, and three children in the back, fighting off any enemy. Basically, that's what she's been doing all her life, isn't it?"

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The Princess of Wales confirmed she was in remission back in January after previously sharing the news in September that she had completed treatment. Prince William paused royal duties for a time whilst Kate was undergoing treatment and according to Ingrid, when he resumed them, it was "unflappable" Carole who stepped in to help the couple.

The royal expert claimed, "Carole is a really helpful, practical and unflappable mum and grandmother. Rather than ask what she can do, she just gets on with it; she’s very proactive. When William went back to royal duties, she was doing the school run and probably doing things like filling the freezer with the kids' favourite foods."

Ingrid, who wrote My Mother and I, believes that looking after Prince George, Charlotte and Louis would have been "absolutely no problem" for their granny. More than that, she believes that Kate would "have been able to relax", safe in the knowledge that Carole’s "hand was on the wheel" at this unimaginably difficult time.

"She has been both a physical and emotional support to Kate," the expert added. "The Middletons are a traditional family, which is why William enjoyed being around them so much. When things go wrong, they pull together under Carol's direction. She is the matriarch of this family and they all take her advice because they have great respect for their mum."

In the video by Will Warr posted alongside the Princess of Wales’s message in September we saw a glimpse of the family sitting around the kitchen table with Carole and Michael Middleton, playing cards. It was such a special and joyful moment that clearly meant a lot to Kate for her to include it and Carole and Michael were the only non-royals who featured.

Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales explained in her engagement interview in 2010 how important her family is to her and how much help they’ve been whenever she’s needed them most.

"I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves. They've been great over the years - helping me with difficult times. We see a lot of each other and they are very, very dear to me," Kate shared.

To this day, they still see a lot of each other and in 2018 Carole confirmed to The Telegraph that despite her "biggest fear" being that she'd "lose" her family as her kids grew up, they've "stayed close".