The mother of Kate Middleton has started selling party supplies at stores in New Jersey with items that are themed after the royal family and cardboard cutouts of herself.
The 67-year-old Carole Middleton sells her Party Pieces goods at ShopRite stores all around the Garden State.
Tuesday saw the line’s announcement, and Carole helped introduce her products by stopping by four shops in Aberdeen, Hazlet, Shewsbury, and the fittingly called Middletown.
On Wednesday, DailyMail.com paid a visit to the shops in Hazlet and Middletown to check out the assortment, which was simple to recognize owing to the five Carole photographs that were put up in Hazlet and the eight that were put up in Middletown.
After Queen Elizabeth passed away last month, Carole, whose 40-year-old daughter was crowned Princess of Wales, is selling a garland set and stand with a “princess and unicorn” motif.
It offers bags for $5.99, a cupcake carousel for $24.99, a table cover for $4.99, and packs of plates and napkins for $4.49 each.
A series with a pink flower motif is also available. Although ShopRite’s PR called the collection “A Very English Rose” in a news release announcing the introduction, the packaging doesn’t give it an official name.
Kate, Carole’s daughter, and Princess Diana, Kate’s late mother-in-law, are two other royal ladies whose attractiveness has previously been praised in similar way.
8 paper plates, 8 paper cups, napkins, and bunting are all included in the price range.
The products’ packaging boasts that it was “created with love” by Middleton and has the red, white, and blue union jack.
Carole visited New Jersey shops in Aberdeen, Hazlet, Shrewsbury, and Middletown for the launch; some of the stores seemed to have run out of various goods already.
In the Hazlet shop, there was just one remaining of the $11.99 “Rose Arch Treat Stand” from the English Rose collection.
There are many Brits in this area of New Jersey, so maybe that’s why they’re being offered at the chosen businesses, a staff member informed DailyMail.com.
The very secretive Carole lives with her husband Michael at their house in Bucklebury, Berkshire. The pair is also the parents of James, 37, and Pippa, 39.
15 years before her daughter captured Prince William’s attention during a student fashion exhibition at Scotland’s St Andrew’s University, Carole founded Party Pieces in 1987.
It was an immediate smash, with Party Pieces’ popularity soaring once Carole’s daughter Kate gained notoriety.
Since then, Carole has been accused of taking advantage of her daughter’s royal position by marketing Party Pieces collections, including one for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, which marked her 70th year on the throne, last year.
Supporters counter that Carole has the same right as any other party goods company to provide products for significant, actual events.
She and Michael are notorious for their secrecy.
The late Queen is claimed to have been much moved by their prudence and how they managed the attention from the international media after the romance of their oldest daughter.
While courting Kate, Prince William is believed to have loved the relaxed yet tight-knit ambiance of his in-laws’ house. Prince William is also quite close to his in-laws.
Other product lines available include those with stars and stripes, goods inspired by dinosaurs, and an underwater collection with a princess mermaid.
Table runners cost $4.49, while pink, gold, and white streamers cost $5.99 throughout the assortment of goods.
Many products from the Dino the Explorer line, including a shark head mask, were still on the shelf. Popular items seemed to include the $4.49 Star Plate and the matching cup set.
The whole ensemble also includes $4.99 balloons in colors including pink, metallic, stars, and blue, along with matching bags and streamers.
The “Shooting Star” set also includes birthday headbands, candles, platters, purses, and garlands.
While many of the products available in the UK have not yet arrived in US retailers, Middleton hinted in an Instagram post at a “wider expansion.”
When Kate Middleton’s mother was seeking for ideas for her daughter’s fifth birthday party in 1987, she launched Party Pieces.
The company is headquartered in Yattendon, Berkshire, at Child’s Court Farm. It sends out 4,000 orders every week and has 40 employees.
Kate assisted in the creation of the first birthday and infant categories, thus all three of her kids have contributed at some time.
As Carole previously said, they first had to “do everything themselves,” and the kids sometimes assisted with jobs like receiving orders and packing boxes.
She added of the new endeavor: “It’s really wonderful to see our Party Pieces Collection growing into the US beginning with Saker ShopRites, a major retailer in New Jersey and family-owned company with a long history of dedication to the consumers and communities its shops serve.
We’re pleased to join with Saker ShopRites for our inaugural launch since “this is the outcome of outstanding cooperation.”
We are happy to be the first US retail partner for British heritage brand Party Pieces, said Richard Saker, president and CEO of Saker ShopRites.
We understand that our clients are reuniting to celebrate important milestones in their life and that they want to have amazing parties.