Middleton Family War As Carole Middleton's Cousin Says She Is Now 'Grander Than The Queen'

An internecine war has broken out in the Middleton family after a second cousin of Kate Middleton said her mom, Carole Middleton, had become, "Grander than the Queen," and accused her of being so “embarrassed” by her middle class relatives that she had cut them out of family occasions and denied them the opportunity of meeting Prince George.

Joanne Callen, 33, a recruitment consultant who is also Carole’s god daughter, also claimed in an outspoken interview in yesterday’s Mail on Sunday that Kate’s naughty uncle Gary Goldsmith has also been dropped by Carole.

Miss Callen told the Mail On Sunday: “Carole doesn’t reply to invitations and doesn’t turn up at any family events. She claims that she won’t go anywhere where Gary is but I think she is just making excuses.

“The real reason is that she is above us now. We’re not in her social circle. It’s as if we are not good enough now and she’s embarrassed by us. She is now even grander than the Queen.”

However, Uncle Gary hit back for his sister today, dismissing the piece as “inaccurate and mean” in a tweet early this morning.

Ms Callen, a recruitment consultant from a village near Watford, Herts, said she had always got on well with Mrs Middleton but felt in recent years that she and her family had been shunned.

She told The Mail on Sunday: “She behaves as if we are not good enough for her now – so she does not need to respond to us or have any care. At the end of the day, I’m not sure what the word god-daughter means any more.”

Alison Callen, the mother of Joanne Callen, is a cousin of Carole Goldsmith – her maiden name – and was bridesmaid when she married Michael Middleton in 1980.

Ms Callen said that her grandparents Ruth, 81, and Ivor, 86, had been let down twice by Mrs Middleton when she had promised they could meet the Duke and Duchess’s son Prince George, who turned one last month.

She claims that Mrs Middleton had telephoned them last year to say a car would pick them up in a couple of weeks to collect them to meet Prince George but it had never arrived.

“I still feel sad thinking of them sitting there waiting for the call with a present all wrapped up waiting for them,” Ms Callen added.

“Then Christmas came and it obviously wasn’t going to happen. Our family is deeply saddened. There is no need to upset anybody. She should certainly have a good deal more respect for Ruth and Ivor.”

"At the end of the day, I’m not sure what the word goddaughter means any more."