‘I Didn't Want To Miss My Kids Growing Up, So I Started My Own Business '

Carole Middleton is not only the mother of the future queen of England, she’s also a savvy entrepreneur whose start-up gave her financial freedom and plenty of time to raise her family. Now she’s opened up to Good Housekeeping, sharing her secrets with us for the first time!

- Jackie Brown

In 1987, I had two young children (daughters Kate and Pippa) and was pregnant with my son, James. We had come back to the UK from living abroad, and I was a full-time mum. I wanted to be there for my children, so I considered starting my own business.

Party Pieces was the result, and it sprang from my personal needs for my own children’s parties – you had to hunt high and low to find suitable supplies. I found suppliers and put up notices in my daughter’s playgroup that said ‘Planning a party?’ and started getting orders.

My memories of those early days are vivid. We worked out of a studio in the garden that was a glorified shed. My husband, Michael, put up a tabletop, which was like a kitchen workbench; I put my stock underneath, and the top was for packing the parcels.