Carole Middleton: The Crown's 'modern-day Mrs Bennet' — but is the 'pushy' portrayal fair?
The extent to which Carole Middleton — mother of the Princess of Wales — actually played a role in the early success of her eldest daughter Kate's relationship with Prince William has long been the subject of intrigue and speculation. Some say her daughter never would have met the prince without her supposedly masterminding the whole thing as a 'pushy' social climber; others say she was simply a hard-working and ambitious middle class mum who simply wanted to empower her daughter to believe she can achieve anything.
Which side of the fence The Crown creator Peter Morgan sits on is hardly a difficult one to guess. In his latest season of hit royal series, Carole, 68 — played by House of the Dragon actress Eve Best and the character who arguably takes centre stage — is seen advising Kate what to wear to that now-notorious university fashion show that William is set to attend.
"Heels not flats, you still want to show off those legs," she instructs her daughter over the phone. "It’s our duty to make use of the assets God has given us... Does he know you’re back on the market? Maybe find a way of letting him know."
The casting on The Crown is so spectacular, I knew Eve Best was Carole Middleton the *second* she appeared on screen. They do such a good job of invoking the character even without a painfully accurate aesthetic recreation. pic.twitter.com/k0yEr3tocp
— Rita (@ritalara) December 15, 2023
Kate smiles and tells her mother she's "worse than Mrs. Bennet" in – a nod to the scheming mother-of-daughters character in Pride and Prejudice and a spelling-out of Morgan's attitude towards Carole's role in the makings of the now-great royal romance between Wills and Kate. Scenes show the stewardess-turned-businesswoman pushing Kate through the crowd to meet William during a public appearance, and tuning into the radio as he announces his decision to attend St Andrew's university after a gap year. She is later seen being yelled at by her daughter for being too pushy, as
