Why Kate Middleton's Mom Asked For An Interview To Not Be Promoted

Before Kate Middleton was the Duchess of Cambridge and a working member of the British royal family, she had a hand in helping her own family with their party supply company, Party Pieces, per PopSugar. The company was founded in 1987 by Kate's mother, Carole Middleton, and has been a family affair ever since. 

In celebration of the company's 30th birthday in 2017, Carole wrote (via Cosmopolitan) on the site that Party Pieces is "still very much a family business today," adding that over time, all three of her kids "have played a huge part in it from modeling for the catalogue to developing new categories for the brand." More specifically, Kate's younger sister, Pippa Middleton, started a blog for the site, Kate created the 1st birthday branch of the site, and their younger brother, James Middleton, brought personalized cakes to the business.

The family business is still up and running, with Carole occasionally doing interviews to promote it. However, she has now requested that a certain interview regarding Party Pieces does not get pushed — here's why.

Carole Middleton was interviewed by Good Housekeeping U.K. for its April 2021 cover story. Now, she's asking the magazine not to promote it so she does not come off as "insensitive" to the British royal family as Prince Philip recovers in the hospital, according to the Daily Mail. The Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to the King Edward VII hospital in London on Feb. 16, 2021, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace (via The Guardian) as a "precautionary measure." As of this writing, he is being treated at St Bartholomew's Hospital after being transferred in early March 2021, per BBC.

A source told The Sun that Carole never wants to overshadow the royal family and reportedly always asks Prince William for approval before giving any type of large interview. "Carole is incredibly proud of her company and all the hard work that goes into it," the source said. "'But whilst backing the business, she didn't want to turn any news into a media circus because she is so respectful and sensitive to Catherine, and the royal family." 

The source added that Carole has become more sensitive about this as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are once again in the news for their tell-all with Oprah Winfrey, which is set to air on March 7, 2021. "She decided she didn't want to do any PR for the interview — even if it cost her thousands in potential lost marketing," the source confirmed.