Kate Middleton's Uncle Spoke Out About The Rumors Of A Royal Rift – And He Had Some Words For Harry

Gary Goldsmith is Kate’s uncle, the younger sibling of her mom Carole Middleton. And just like the rest of the family, he’s super rich. Goldsmith has obviously known Kate ever since she was a little girl, with the future princess and her sister Pippa serving as bridesmaids during his first marriage ceremony.

Goldsmith, however, is broadly considered to be the black sheep of the family. He’s been in trouble with the law over the years – and it’s definitely been reported in the newspapers. Before Kate wed William, some News of the World journalists caught Goldsmith in a sting operation which reportedly enraged the Middleton family.

By all accounts, though, the family forgave him for the embarrassment it caused. An anonymous friend told the Daily Express newspaper in 2013, “Gary was invited to the royal wedding, wasn’t he? He was completely set up in 2009. The family never blamed him, they felt sorry for him, and so did the royals.”

Goldsmith was indeed invited to the royal wedding, and he made himself impossible to miss while he was there. He turned up in an expensive and colorful Rolls Royce car, for a start. And after that, it became clear that he wasn’t going to go and quietly live a private life. He seemed to love spilling royal details to the press.

Flash forward to 2013, and Goldsmith was eagerly revealing all he knew about Kate and William to HELLO! magazine. He gave a 16-page interview to the publication in March of that year, talking about how the royal couple had stayed at his Ibiza pad. This place has the very un-royal-sounding name of La Maison de Bang Bang.

Goldsmith said that Kate and William had visited the mansion in 2006, many years before they were husband and wife. “Carole [Middleton, Kate’s mother] asked if the family and Prince William could use [the house]. We organized a whole itinerary for them, including going over to a neighboring island on a boat.”

Kate’s uncle added, “The house is very relaxing and it’s very, very secure. You’ve got walls all the way around so it’s very difficult for people to pry on you.” William was, of course, very much of interest to the media. But according to Goldsmith, the young prince and Kate had “a brilliant time.”

Goldsmith said of his niece in that interview, “She is this confident, clever, caring girl who has taken her responsibilities in marriage and job incredibly seriously. I think everyone thinks she’s sincere, in love, and doing her job to the best of her ability.” And she and William were “very, very good together.”

But Goldsmith did also spill the details on what happened during the brief period Kate and William split in 2007. He claimed she went to his mansion “to get away from everything.” While she was there, apparently, “Kate was very low, spending a huge amount of time on the phone, walking around the pool.”

There was nothing overly scandalous in Goldsmith’s interview, but it still raised a lot of eyebrows. The National Post newspaper declared, “Mr. Goldsmith’s decision to speak to HELLO! will be a further embarrassment to the Middletons and the royal family, who forgave his previous indiscretions to allow him to attend the royal wedding in 2011.”

Goldsmith didn’t stop there. He continued to chat about Kate and her marriage to the newspapers. In July 2013 he gave a long interview to the Mirror newspaper about her, where he speculated that her firstborn child would be a girl. But he also quite vigorously defended his own reputation, too.

Kate’s controversial relative told the interviewer, “Everyone always assumes the worst. People see my tattoos, read stuff, and think I’m this awful, dodgy bloke. It couldn’t be further from the truth. I am incredibly proud of my family, incredibly close to them, and immensely proud of all that I have achieved.”

Goldsmith went on, “I’m a self-made businessman. No one got me to the position I’m in today. I did it myself, through hard work and putting in the hours. I’m the least dodgy man on the planet. So the idea I am not close to my family, or the scourge of the royal family, is absolute rubbish.”

When Prince George was born, Goldsmith turned to the media yet again. He told the Mail on Sunday in July 2013 that he was planning a “time capsule” present for the new prince, which included a copy of HELLO! magazine. He said, “It’s quite incredible to think that, as Catherine’s uncle, a future king of England now has my family blood in his veins.”

Of course, a lot has changed in the royal family since Prince George was born. In 2018 Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in a ceremony viewed worldwide. The Daily Mail newspaper reported that Goldsmith watched the event on television from a pub in London – he wasn’t invited to that one.

As we know now, Harry and Meghan didn’t stick around in the royal family. In early January 2020 the pair shocked the world with a sudden announcement on social media: they were leaving. They would no longer be considered “senior royals” and would instead seek financial independence and leave the United Kingdom.

Apparently, the entire royal family was shocked by this decision. And according to those in the know, William didn’t take it well. A source told Us Weekly magazine that there was “a rift” between the two brothers and that the older prince was “incredibly hurt” that Harry and Meghan were leaving.

Royal experts speculated that if anyone could make peace between the two brothers, it was most likely to be Kate. One expert named Katie Nicholl told the show Entertainment Tonight that month, “I think throughout all of this, Kate has tried very much to be the peacemaker. Remember that she and Harry were at one point incredibly close.”

And it seems that Goldsmith feels the same way. Even since the bombshell Harry and Meghan Oprah interview, which featured some major claims against the royal family, he’s been relentlessly defending his niece in the media. In June 2021 he told Closer magazine that Kate would be a peacemaker – and he slammed Harry in the process.

Goldsmith said, “The harsh truth – in my opinion – is that if Harry doesn’t get a grip and stop this self-indulgent episode, there will soon be no common ground or relationship to rebuild. But if anyone can bring peace to the royals, Kate can. Kate is a brilliant arbiter and peacemaker. Every bone in her body is about making friends and doing the best she can... She’s trying to mediate.”

That wasn’t all Goldsmith had to say. He went on, “I’ve never been more proud of the royal family. They give us a sense of stability and they’ve kept their dignity. Everyone loves our Queen and I think, with everything going on in the world at the moment, the royals are as important today as ever for our nation. [The interview] won’t be damaging to them at all.”

Goldsmith is also insistent about one point Meghan brought up in the Oprah interview. She said that though the media had reported that she made Kate cry at one point during a dress fitting, actually “the reverse happened.” She told Oprah Winfrey, “A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining – yes, the issue was correct – about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings.”

Kate’s uncle told the Mail on Sunday after the interview aired, “I don’t believe for a moment that Kate made Meghan cry. I’ve known Kate since she was born and she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. It’s just simply not in her nature. She’s even lovelier on the inside than on the outside.”

Palace sources haven’t commented on the issue between Kate and Meghan. However, expert Katie Nicholl told OK! magazine that the duchess “has never wanted any suggestion of a rift with Meghan to come out in the press.” She added, “Kate is so discreet and respects her personal life. You never hear about her falling out with anyone because she is very careful with how she treats others.”

Nicholls went on, “So for this story to be circulating is very hard. Kate felt [the incident] was all sorted, so to have it brought up again was mortifying. From what I hear, there are different versions of the bridesmaid story, not just the one Meghan discussed.” She added that Kate and William felt “let down” after the Oprah interview.

Clearly, Goldsmith isn’t pleased about it, either. He said in his Closer interview that he was “worried” about Harry. He went on, “Everyone is astonished. He wanted to step back and protect his wife, now he’s charging in. It’s an attack on the family – why do it? If you want an easy life, work it out privately and have a conversation respectfully. Don’t air it in public, it’s really hurtful.”

However, Goldsmith at one point chose a public forum to air his remarks, too. Back in October 2020 he posted a widely criticized message on LinkedIn. It read, “With so much going on in the world still these two muppets are craving attention… Now hush please we are kinda busy saving lives and an economy.”

The post was quickly removed and Goldsmith later expressed regret about it – albeit very mild regret. He told the show 60 Minutes Australia in May 2021, “I’m embarrassed about doing it but I stand by it. I’m just very disappointed with them. I think there’s a whole nation that’s massively disappointed.”

Goldsmith went on, “We all love Harry, the whole world loves Harry. But you just don’t do what they did and then go on Oprah and talk like that. It’s just not the way the world works.” He also reiterated that his niece was “someone to be super, super, super proud of,” and “a very beautiful soul.”

Rumor has it that William and Harry are at least trying to mend their feud. They were seen together at the funeral of their grandfather Prince Philip in April 2021. Kate was also there, but Meghan was not. Some noticed that the duchess seemed to be trying to give her husband and brother-in-law space to talk.

Goldsmith told Closer about that day, “You could see at the funeral that Kate was there trying to make peace, bringing the brothers together. Harry and Kate were great friends, they were a trio with William and a strong unit. Family and relationships are everything to Kate – she’s very nurturing, she wouldn’t like that [rift] happening and she is trying to look after her husband and do what she can to make things right.”

That hasn’t been the only recent interaction between the two factions. Harry and Meghan’s second child Lilibet Diana was born in June 2021, and Kate and William offered their congratulations. They sent a message via Instagram which read, “We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan and Archie.”

Apparently, Harry might have texted Kate with the news of the new baby’s birth – before he texted William, even. According to an unnamed Palace source who spoke to the Daily Mail, Harry had done this as a means of “cementing [Kate’s] role as a bridge between him and his brother.”

Kate and William haven’t met Lilibet face-to-face yet, but by all accounts they plan to. In June 2021 a source told Us Weekly, “William and Kate want to meet Lili, and they agree it’s only fair that they visit Harry and Meghan on their home turf. Plus, they have been wanting to see more of America as a family anyway, so this is a real win-win that works for everyone.”

The trip would give the Cambridge kids a chance to meet their new cousin, too. The insider said, “At the end of the day, William and Harry both realize blood is thicker than water. It’s not doing anyone any good to be locked in this bitter feud. They are all committed to finally making peace.”

The brothers will meet face-to-face in public again on July 1, when a statue of their mother Diana is set to be unveiled at Kensington Palace. Another royal expert named Robert Lacey thinks this might help with finally mending the rift. He spoke to HELLO! magazine about it towards the end of June.

Lacey said the two princes were, “coming together from opposite sides of the world for the express purpose of honoring their mother and what more could they do to honor her than at least start moving back together. I can’t believe that either of them would want this occasion to be divisive.”

The expert went on, “I have heard that Harry has been saying to friends he would like to reconcile, but I think for William to move forward he would need some assurance that there’s not going to be more revelatory interviews. Trust has got to be restored because you can’t negotiate serious reconciliation unless you can discuss things in private.”

The Queen is going to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, and it’s said she wants both brothers and their children to be there. Don’t expect Uncle Gary to be there, though, as he’s not a royal. But regardless of whether the rift is fixed by then, he’s certain to have plenty to say about it.