Cheltenham’s Ladies’ Day has always been a talking point, thanks to its glamorous attendees and eye-catching fashion, but Wednesday’s event was particularly memorable thanks to one guest in particular: Carole Middleton. The Princess of Wales’s mother made a grand comeback following a period largely spent away from public royal life, arriving arm in arm with Zara Tindall and sharing friendly moments with Princess Anne and the Queen.
“It’s a significant moment,” says royal biographer and commentator Angela Levin. “I was quite shocked seeing the pictures – I thought it was absolutely extraordinary.” Levin was struck not just by Middleton’s appearance right at the centre of the royal fold, but by her intimate and animated exchanges with members of the family, especially the giddy laughter she shared with Tindall. “People are usually holding back because they’re with the Royal family. They don’t laugh like anything.” Middleton, 71, also demonstrated her sense of humour by pretending to look away when Tindall shared a kiss with her husband, Mike Tindall.
Middleton was later seen in the royal box alongside the Queen and Princess Anne, enjoying the festivities and even, at one point, hugging the Princess Royal. Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and a royal biographer, observes that Middleton’s presence suggests a high-level endorsement. “I believe she must have been invited by the Queen to have been in the royal box, since Her Majesty was hosting the box. If Carole was there for the whole day, she likely would have been a lunch guest [with the Royal family] too.”
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