Kate and Pippa Middleton upheld sweet family tradition in honour of mum Carole

Sisters Kate and Pippa Middleton seem to have upheld a sweet family tradition in honour of Carole when they welcomed their children.

The Princess of Wales has remained incredibly close to her family since becoming a senior royal and the Middletons are hugely important in the lives of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis too. Carole in particular has been described as "indispensable" in helping with childcare and once reportedly accompanied Kate and Prince William on a royal tour to assist with baby Prince George. Like the Wales family who live at Adelaide Cottage, Kate’s younger sister Pippa has made Berkshire her home and lives nearby to Carole and Michael Middleton. 

With the family’s heart-warming bond, it’s perhaps no surprise that both Kate and Pippa are said to have upheld a sweet family tradition - likely as a nod to their mum. When the Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed their daughter in 2015 there was huge speculation about what they would name her and the proud parents settled on Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. 

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The Princess’s second middle name is a clear tribute to the late Princess Diana and whilst Elizabeth might have been after Queen Elizabeth, Kate and Prince William could also have chosen this moniker in honour of Carole. The future Queen’s mother’s full name is Carole Elizabeth Middleton and when her eldest daughter was born she chose to give Kate the same middle name.

It could be said that the Princess of Wales continued her mum’s tradition when she and Prince William gave Princess Charlotte the same middle name. Nor was she the only Middleton sister to do so, as according to Hello!, Pippa Middleton’s eldest daughter Grace also allegedly has Elizabeth as one of her middle names.

Like Kate and Prince William, Pippa and her husband James Matthews supposedly honoured both sides of their family tree with their name choice of Grace Elizabeth Jane. Jane is James’s mother’s name and Elizabeth once again links back to Carole.

In light of this, it seems as though both Kate and Pippa chose to continue the Middleton tradition of giving their firstborn daughter the middle name Elizabeth. Even if this wasn’t completely intentional, the link between Princess Charlotte and Grace’s names and Carole is so adorable. 

Late last year Carole Middleton became a proud grandmother-of-seven when her son James and his wife Alizée welcomed their son Inigo. She’s known to be a devoted granny and previously explained how she’s passed on her love of gardening, growing vegetables and getting muddy outdoors to her grandkids.

As reported by the MailOnline, Carole told Saga magazine in their May 2021 issue, "If I'm doing planting with my grandchildren I like to have it all laid out at 'activity stations' with their own little trowel and pot so they can get started immediately." 

"It's important for children to grow up appreciating nature and part of that is allowing them to get a bit muddy," she went on to add, before revealing her belief that "there's no better way to encourage healthy eating than to allow your grandchildren to see how food is grown and let them pick their own."

The Princess of Wales has previously spoken about how they grow vegetables at home too, showing how much of a shared family passion this is. As summer is prime harvesting time for many vegetables, it’s possible Carole enjoyed gardening time with her grandchildren in Berkshire during their recent school holidays.