The Royal Family are facing times of almost unprecedented crisis at the moment, what with the respective cancer battles being fought by King Charles and Kate Middleton.

The latter’s plight has been particularly well documented, with the speculation surrounding her mysterious absence from the spotlight following the abrupt abdominal procedure she underwent in January having hit fever pitch in recent weeks.

Sadly, there may now be more strife adversely affecting the Middleton clan, with US Weekly reporting that Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, is “desperately” trying to shield her daughter from the devastating debt facing her family business.

A new report published in The Times newspaper details how Carole and Michael Middleton are facing tremendous debts that they are unable to pay off.

Their Party Pieces Company has accrued some “£260,000 (over $329,000) insolvency firm costs”, with the firm responsible for handling the insolvency said to have confirmed that the pair cannot pay off the total fees.

The Party Pieces Company was launched back in 1987, enjoying considerable success before ultimately going into administration last June. US Weekly report that the Middletons owe creditors a sum to the tune of £2.6 million.

Of course, right now is hardly the ideal time for Kate to be drawn into worrying about anything other than her ongoing recovery, and it’s believed that her mother is now doing her utmost to ensure her daughter doesn’t try to offer any assistance.

“Carole is desperately trying to keep Catherine fully focused on her recovery,” a source told US Weekly. “It’s a very worrying time for the family but they are not looking for any assistance from their children and don’t want them to worry.

“Catherine and her parents are very close and they always check in with each other, but talk about the business is off limits as she needs to focus on her health.”

Royal commentator Afua Hagan further elaborated for the news outlet: “Carole will be doing all she can right now to stop her daughter from stressing as she undergoes chemotherapy.

“It’s a stressful time at the moment and she will be pulling out all the stops to shield her daughter from this. Party Pieces has collapsed and it’s been devastating for the family, but Carole will be most concerned about Kate’s well-being right now.”

Before her marriage to Prince William, Princess Kate actually worked for Party Pieces in the role of project manager. Her career there came to its end shortly before the royal wedding in 2011.

Sadly, reports detailed how Party Pieces had faced enormous challenges in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the company facing a loss of $316,000).

A friend of Carole’s told the Daily Mail in 2023: “Carole is understandably upset and deeply disappointed in this situation. Over the past five months she really has done her best to find a buyer, who not only would take the business forward, but would also honor any outstanding debts.”

“Carole believes in accountability and accepts she had been a little naïve to step back and trust someone else to run the business she had spent decades nurturing and it’s been desperately sad to see the company sold off in this way.”

As stated, Carole is currently serving as a major support pillar as her daughter undergoes preventative chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with cancer.

“Her mom has been staying with her to help her recuperate,” a source told US Weekly last month.

Here’s to hoping that the struggles don’t impact in any way upon Kate Middleton’s wellbeing at this difficult time.