Party Pieces Falls Apart? Report Says Kate Middleton's Parents' Business Is Flagging
Mar. 24 2019, Updated 11:06 p.m. ET
Kate Middleton's parents Carole and Michael's British party business reportedly isn't faring well.
But Kate's loving husband Prince William has been "nothing but supportive" amid the trouble, according to Page Six.
The Sun reported earlier this week that Kate's mother Carole had fired three people from the family business called Party Pieces. A fourth worker was also reportedly told that his job was shaky.
An insider told The Sun, "There is a terrible air of doom and gloom about the place."
Middleton's parents founded their party supply business in 1987, with their children Kate, Pippa, and James helping out.
It made Carole and Michael wealthy and Party Pieces capitalized on the attention when Kate, now 37, romanced and later married Willliam, 36.
But now, insiders allege that instead of Party Pieces personnel stocking the warehouse and sending out goods on demand, the products are only ordered in as required.
Also, in December 2018, amid alleged bad morale, sources said there was no Christmas tree or decorations at Party Pieces.
Carole once boasted about her kids working in the family business, "James established our personalized photo cakes, Kate started the first birthday side of the business, and Pippa developed the Party Pieces blog."
She added, "Because they all grew up with me working, Party Pieces has been very much part of our lives and what we talked about. I still ask their advice and say 'What do you think of this?' "
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But in August 2018, Carole and Michael were reportedly accused of exploiting Kate's sister-in-law's birthday with a "Meghan" banner.
And a couple of months later, royal fans were reportedly outraged when Party Pieces sold a bloody-looking Princess Diana zombie costume for Halloween.
William's mother Diana died in a car wreck in Paris in August 1997 and there was a gruesome death scene.
People blasted the Party Pieces costume, with Princess Diana's friend Simon Simmons calling it "sicker than sick."
Page Six has reported that Carole and Michael are currently speaking with investors about their business.
The publication's source revealed Prince William is actually very supportive of his wife's parents, saying, "He's always admired that they were self-made."
However, many had speculated that Kate and William had briefly broken up in 2007 because of her "middle-class" background.
In William & Kate: The Journey, a documentary about the royal couple, it was said that Williams' friends used to make fun of the brunette beauty's humble beginnings.
Still, the Palace has "strenuously denied" all claims that Kate was teased over her middle-class background.
Kate and William married in 2011 and have three kids.