Carole Middleton is a hands-on grandmother with her daughter Princess Kate's three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Their bond has grown stronger over the years thanks to Prince William and Princess Kate's 2022 relocation to Windsor which brought them closer to Carole and Michael's country property in Berkshire.
© Getty ImagesThe businesswoman offered a glimpse inside their bond during a rare interview with Good Housekeeping in 2021. Opening up, she shared: "I want to run down the hills, climb the trees and go through the tunnel at the playground. As long as I am able to, that's what I'll be doing. I cook with them, I muck around dancing, we go on bike rides."
© Getty ImagesBut did you know that there is a sweet link connecting the pair? Both Carole and Charlotte have Elizabeth as their middle name – no doubt a deliberate choice to extend the family tradition.
The Middleton's have long used Elizabeth as a moniker. Carole used it for her eldest daughter Princess Kate, whilst Kate's sister Pippa, also used the traditional middle name for her daughter Grace.
Middle names aside, there's also the obvious connection in the sense that Carole and Charlotte's names start with the same letter. Whilst it may seem like a small detail, it's worth noting that several key members of the royal family have names starting with 'C' – and it hasn't gone unnoticed by His Majesty.
According to Prince Harry, Queen Consort Camilla and King Charles allegedly wanted Princess Kate to tweak the spelling of her first name from Catherine to Katherine to avoid having too many royals with the initial 'C'.
© Getty ImagesIn his memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex wrote: "I remembered the time he [Charles] and Camilla wanted Kate to change the spelling of her name, because there were already two royal cyphers with a C and a crown above: Charles and Camilla. It would be too confusing to have another. Make it Katherine with a K, they suggested."
Charlotte's bond with the Middleton's was clear to see this summer as she joined her mother and aunt, Pippa, at the Wimbledon Championships for the men's singles final.
© ShutterstockThe outing was a rare one for the royal mother-of-three who has only made two public appearances since announcing her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
Charlotte, nine, and Pippa, 40, appeared in high spirits as they soaked up some stellar sporting action from the coveted Royal Box. Amid the nail-biting action, they could be seen smiling and laughing sweetly with twining half-up, half-down hairstyles.
Princess Charlotte's summer plans
It has been reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales will enjoy a tranquil summer break with their three children in tow. According to a report in the Mail on Sunday, the royal family-of-five will travel to Balmoral, as per tradition.
© Getty ImagesThe royal family's Scottish bolthole is the ultimate country retreat where the royals relish making the most of the beautiful scenery and numerous outdoor activities such as hiking, horse riding and fishing.
"George, Charlotte and Louis already know how dear Scotland is to both of us and they are starting to build their own happy memories here too," Prince William said as he addressed the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland back in May 2021.
