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Family of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Coat of arms granted to Michael Francis Middleton (the father of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) on 19 April 2011, as the armigerous head of the family.
Current region	Bucklebury, West Berkshire, England
Earlier spellings	Middeltone, Mideltuna, Middeltune
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Members	Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Michael Middleton Carole Middleton Pippa Middleton James William Middleton
Connected families	Lupton, Goldsmith

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is a member of the Middleton family, the daughter of Michael and Carole Middleton and sister of Pippa and James. Shortly before her royal wedding to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in April 2011, a coat of arms was granted to her father Michael Francis Middleton as the armigerous head of the family of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Parents

Michael Francis Middleton was born in Leeds in 1949, the son of a pilot. His grandfather Noel Middleton was a solicitor. Like his father and grandfather, Michael was educated at Clifton College. At Clifton, all three Middleton men boarded at Brown House.

Carole Elizabeth Middleton (née Goldsmith) was born on 31 January 1955 at Perivale Maternity Hospital in Ealing. The daughter of a builder, Ronald Goldsmith (1931–2003), and his wife, Dorothy Harrison (1935–2006), she was raised in a council flat in Southall, and attended the local state school.

The couple met when they both worked for British Airways (BA) – Carole as a stewardess, Michael as a steward. In 1979, Michael was promoted within BA and became an Aircraft Dispatcher, one of British Airways' elite Redcaps, at London Heathrow Airport, where he kept track of the airline's fleet on the ground. The couple were married on 21 June 1980, at the parish church of St James in Dorney, Buckinghamshire. They bought a semi-detached Victorian house in Bradfield Southend near Reading, Berkshire.

The couple have three children (two daughters and one son). Following the birth of their daughters Catherine Elizabeth (born 1982) and Philippa Charlotte (born 1983), the family briefly moved to Amman, Jordan, where Michael worked from 1984 to 1987.

Their third and youngest child, a son named James William, was born in 1987. In 1987, when Kate and Philippa were at a pre-school at St Andrew's School, Pangbourne, Carole set up Party Pieces, a company which began by making party bags and which now sells party supplies and decorations by mail order. By 1995, the firm was being run by both parents and was moved into a range of farm buildings at Ashampstead Common. The family moved into a larger five-bedroomed house in Bucklebury, Berkshire. The business was successful, and over the space of a few years the Middletons are reported to have become very wealthy. As a result, the Middletons sent both of their daughters to the independent Downe House, a girls' boarding school in Cold Ash, and finally the public school Marlborough College, Wiltshire.

Shortly before his elder daughter's royal marriage, Michael was granted a coat of arms. This features three acorn sprigs, one for each of his children. The oak represents England and strength as well as the family's home district of West Berkshire. The white chevronels symbolise peaks and mountains, said to represent the family's love of the Lake District and skiing, and the gold chevron represents Carole Middleton's maiden name of Goldsmith.

The Middletons have been described by the British press as "minted" and "moneyed middle class, with a smattering of blue-blooded antecedents".

Children

The Middletons' first daughter, Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton, now known as HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, was born on 9 January 1982. After finishing at Marlborough, she went to study at University of St Andrews. It was here, while living at St Salvator's Hall, that she met Prince William. After a long relationship, and a six month engagement, she married Prince William at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011.

In December 2012, it was announced that Catherine and William were expecting their first child; Catherine gave birth to a son, Prince George of Cambridge, on 22 July 2013, who is third in line to the throne.

Their second daughter, Philippa Charlotte "Pippa" Middleton, born on 6 September 1983, attended the same schools as her sister Kate and then studied English literature at the University of Edinburgh. There she shared a house with Lord Ted Innes-Ker, a son of the Duke of Roxburghe, and with Earl Percy, heir of the Duke of Northumberland. Following graduation, in 2008 she took an events management / marketing job with Table Talk, a London-based events catering company. She also writes for Spectator, Vanity Fair and The Party Times, an online magazine which is an off-shoot of her parents' company.

James William Middleton, their youngest child and only son, was born on 15 April 1987. He was educated at St Andrew's School, Pangbourne, and Marlborough College. He started a degree in Environmental Resources Management at the University of Edinburgh before leaving in 2006 after one year to start his own cake-making business, the Cake Kit Company. His company was later reported to have lost nearly ₤17,000 by April 2012.

Both of Catherine's siblings played a prominent role in their sister's wedding: Pippa was the maid of honour and James read the lesson.

Paternal ancestors

Middletons

Middleton is a habitational surname originating from numerous different places in England and in southern Scotland. There are over 30 places similarly named which are derived from the Old English elements: midel + tūn (middle + enclosure, settlement); although some other places have different origins and derived from other elements, such as: micel (large, great), or *(ge)mȳthel (confluence). Early recorded instances of the surname are: de Mideltone in 1166, within the Eynsham Cartulary; de Midilton in 1221, within a charter to the Abbey of Arbroath; and de Midelton in 1327, within the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex.

Michael Middleton's family line came from Leeds: his grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were all solicitors in that part of England. Michael's father Peter was an Oxford educated pilot who flew alongside Prince Philip as co-pilot on a two-month flying tour of South America in 1962.

Luptons

Peter Middleton's mother Olive was born into a prosperous and progressive manufacturing family in Leeds, the Luptons. They were active in commercial and municipal work, especially education, housing, and public health, for several generations; they were prominent Unitarians, a branch of English Dissenters, and worshipped at the Mill Hill Chapel, where a stained glass window commemorates the family.

Olive's father was Francis Martineau Lupton who, along with his four brothers, grew up at Beechwood, the family seat in Roundhay. Two of his brothers became Lord Mayor of Leeds; Sir Charles (founder of the law firm DLA Piper) in 1915 and Hugh in 1926. In their official roles they played host to royalty. In July 2013 British Pathe discovered newsreel films of a royal visit in 1927, in which Mary, The Princess Royal and her husband Lord Harewood are shown being greeted by the incumbent, Hugh Lupton. Two of his brothers, Charles and Catherine's great-great-grandfather Francis, are also seen in the mayoral entourage.

Francis Martineau Lupton's mother was Frances, a pioneer of girls' education who co-founded Leeds Girls' High School. Her father was Thomas Michael Greenhow of Newcastle, where he founded its medical school in 1834. Her maternal family was the Martineau dynasty of Birmingham, with the sociologist Harriet especially close to her.

Other

The Rev. Thomas Davis, a Church of England hymn-writer is also Kate's paternal ancestor.

Genealogical research by William Addams Reitwiesner published in 2011 found that Catherine is descended from Sir Thomas Fairfax (c.1475–1520) and his wife Agnes Gascoigne, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales, and a descendant of Edward III, via Michael Middleton's grandmother Olive Lupton. This makes Catherine and Prince William fourteenth cousins once removed.

Maternal ancestors

Goldsmiths

This section may lend undue weight to certain ideas, incidents, or controversies. Please help to create a more balanced presentation. Discuss and resolve this issue before removing this message. (October 2013)

The paternal Goldsmith family of Carole Middleton came from London. Carole's maternal family, the Harrisons, were working-class labourers and miners from Sunderland and County Durham two generations before.

In July 2013, Channel 4 quoted genealogist Patrick Cracroft-Brennan as saying that Catherine is a descendent of Elizabeth Plantagenet, Edward IV's illegitimate daughter by Elizabeth Lucy, via Sir Thomas Conyers, 9th Bt. of Horden, Durham. While The Complete Peerage: Addenda and Corrigenda Volume 14, in amending an earlier version, shows Elizabeth Plantagenet as having no issue.

Catherine and Prince William's closest common ancestors are Sir William Blakiston of Whickham and his wife Jane Lambton, making them eleventh cousins once removed, echoing Christopher Challender Child's research, originally published in 2011.

Family heritage

Arms

Coat of arms of Middleton family

Notes The coat of arms was granted to Michael Middleton by the College of Arms on 19 April 2011. Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms, the senior officer of the College of Arms, helped the family with the design. Adopted 19 April 2011 Escutcheon Per pale Azure and Gules, a chevron Or, cotised Argent, between three acorns slipped and leaved Or. Symbolism The dividing line (between two colours) down the centre is a canting of the name 'Middle-ton'. The acorns (from the oak tree) are a traditional symbol of England and a feature of west Berkshire, where the family have lived for 30 years. The three acorns also denote the family's three children. The gold chevron in the centre of the arms is an allusion to Carole Middleton's maiden name of Goldsmith. The two white chevronels (narrow chevrons above and below the gold chevron) symbolise peaks and mountains, and the family's love of the Lake District and skiing.

Family Tree

Television and film portrayals

William & Kate, a television movie about Catherine's romance, was released on 18 April 2011, with Catherine and William played by Camilla Luddington and Nico Evers-Swindell respectively. Other members of the Middleton family were played by: Christopher Cousins (Michael Middleton), Serena Scott Thomas (Carole Middleton), Mary Elise Hayden (Pippa Middleton), and Calvin Goldspink (James Middleton). A number of television programmes were also shown in the UK before the wedding which provided deeper insights into the couple's relationship and backgrounds, including When Kate Met William and Channel 4's Meet the Middletons.

References

1. "The Arms of Miss Catherine Middleton". College of Arms. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
2. ^ Rayner, Gordon (16 November 2010). "Royal wedding: Kate Middleton's family background". 16 November 2010. London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
3. Poppy Bradbury (3 May 2011). "Kate Middleton's mum's old school hosts Royal Wedding party". Ealing Gazette.
4. Lundy, Darryl. "Person Page 20097". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
5. Geoffrey Levy (18 November 2010). "For Kate Middleton's mother Carole being royal in-law will be no laughing matter | Mail Online". London: Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
6. Levy, Geoffrey; Kay, Richard (17 April 2011). "Kate Middleton's character shaped by generations of social-climbing matriarchs | Mail Online". London: Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
7. Claudia Joseph The intriguing story of the woman who gave Kate her looks – and family wealth Mail Online, 21 November 2010; Retrieved 22 November 2010
8. ^ Party Pieces Princess in News of the World (21 November 2010), pg. 4
9. ^ "Royal wedding: profile of Kate Middleton". 4 May 2011. London: The Telegraph. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
10. About us at partypieces.co.uk, accessed 19 February 2011
11. Profiles: Kate Middleton in Hello! dated August 2001
12. "Generation why-should-I?". Edinburgh: News.scotsman.com. 11 June 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
13. "Royal wedding: Family's badge of honour for Kate Middleton". The Scotsman. 20 April 2011.
14. ^ Brennan, Zoe (19 March 2011). "The family fortune of the minted Middletons". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2013. The Luptons were an upper-middle-class family of merchants and property developers. While not aristocrats, they were definitely genteel.
15. Pelling, Rowan (13 July 2013). "Carole Middleton will be a key figure in the royal baby's upbringing". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
16. Heaven, Will. "Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton". 4 May 2011. London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
17. "Royal wedding: Kate Middleton's home village of Bucklebury prepares for big day". 12 Apr 2011. London. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
18. ^ Anna Pukas, Kate Middleton's eligible little sister (20 November 2010) Daily Express, accessed 19 February 2011
19. Welcome to the Firm at channel4.com, accessed 4 January 2011
20. Tim Walker, Wedding is good business for Pippa Middleton Daily Telegraph (17 November 2010), accessed 17 February 2011
21. Levy, Geoffrey and Kay, Richard (1 September 2009). "How many MORE skeletons in Kate Middleton's closet?". The Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 3 May 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
22. Jessica Fellowes (1 October 2008). "The 'posh-preneurs' who mean business". Daily Telegraph. London. {{cite journal}}: |chapter= ignored (help)
23. Rayner, Gordon (26 February 2013). "Duchess of Cambridge's brother James Middleton 'not concerned' about cake firm's £17,000 loss". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
24. Anita Singh (29 April 2011). "Pippa Middleton shines as maid of honour". Daily Telegraph. London.
25. Tim Ross (29 April 2011). "How Kate Middleton's brother risks upsetting the Prince of Wales". Daily Telegraph. London.
26. "Learn about the family history of your surname". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 30 May 2011. This website cited the following book for the surname Middleton: Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
27. "Middleton". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 30 May 2011. This website cited the following book for the place name Middleton: "A Dictionary of British Place-Names". Oxford University Press. 2003. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
28. ^ Reaney, Percy Hilde (1995). Wilson, Richard Middlewood (ed.). A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 308–309. ISBN 0-19-863146-4.
29. Black, George Fraser Black (1946). "The Surnames of Scotland". New York: New York Public Library: 599–600. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
30. ^ Rayner, Gordon (21 June 2013). "How the family of 'commoner' Kate Middleton has been rubbing shoulders with royalty for a century". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
31. Mill Hill Chapel History on the church website.Mill Hill Chapel History
32. "Elmete Lane, Beechwood, aerial view". Leodis. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
33. "Footage found of Duchess of Cambridge's ancestors – meeting royalty". London Evening Standard. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
34. Reitwiesner, William Addams (2011). Child, Christopher Challender (ed.). The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton. Scott Campbell Steward. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-88082-252-7.
35. "Reverend Thomas Davis". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
36. Reitwiesner, William Addams (2011). Child, Christopher Challender (ed.). The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton. Scott Campbell Steward. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-88082-252-7.
37. "Olive Christiana Lupton". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
38. Reitwiesner, William Addams (2011). Child, Christopher Challender (ed.). The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton. Scott Campbell Steward. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society. pp. 116–119. ISBN 978-0-88082-252-7.
39. "The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton" (PDF). New England Historic Genealogical Society. 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2013. Prince William and Kate Middleton are fourteenth cousins once removed through Diana, Princess of Wales (pp. 116–17), and fifteenth cousins twice removed through Charles, The Prince of Wales (pp. 118–19)
40. Cracroft-Brennan, Patrick (28 April 2011). "Royal Wedding: William and Kate are (very) distant cousins". Channel 4. Retrieved 7 October 2013. 'This makes William and Kate fourteenth cousins once removed through his mother and fifteenth cousins through his father.'
41. Wilson, Christopher (22 December 2006). "Kate, the coal miner's girl". Mail Online. London.
42. Hammond, P. W.; G.E. Cokayne The Complete Peerage: Addenda and Corrigenda v. 14 p. 457 (1998), Sutton Publishing Ltd., CP:VIII:274.
43. Cracroft-Brennan, Patrick (22 July 2013). "How royal is the royal baby?". Channel 4. Retrieved 11 October 2013. 'This ups the game a little – making the pair 11th cousins once removed.'
44. Turner, Robin (31 July 2013). "Prince George related to Llywelyn the Great, claims genealogist". WalesOnline. Media Wales. Retrieved 13 October 2013. 'This means that Prince George's parents William and Kate are related to each other through Edward IV'
45. Hall, Coryne (October 2013). "Well Connected". Majesty. 34 (10). London: Rex Publications Limited: 38–39. The Duchess of Cambridge may have working-class ancestors but she has distinguished ones too.
46. Child, Christopher Challender (Fall 2011). "A Gratifying Discovery: Connecting Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, to Sir Thomas Conyers, 9th Bt. of Horden, Durham" (PDF). American Ancestors. 12 (4). New England Historic Genealogical Society: 35–36. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
47. ^ "The arms of Miss Catherine Middleton". College of Arms. 1 May 2011.
48. William and Kate IMDb, Retrieved 19 February 2011
49. Rewind TV: When Kate Met William; Kate and William: Romance and the Royals; The Suspicions of Mr Whicher; The Crimson Petal and the White The Observer, 1 May 2011
50. TV review: Meet the Middletons; Help! My House is Infested; The Reckoning The Guardian, 18 April 2011

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