Uh-oh. Someone in the Cambridge household pissed off The Daily Mail. There’s going to be hell to pay. The Daily Mail has a VERY suspicious story this weekend about Carole Middleton’s presence at Anmer Hall. It’s no surprise that Carole has moved in with her daughter, Duchess Kate, and it’s no surprise that Carole plans on spending much (if not all) of the summer helping Kate, William, George and the newborn Princess Charlotte. We knew all of that months ago, and Kate has always spent more of her marriage with her mother than with her husband. No surprises there. But what is surprising is that The Daily Mail seems to be taking Carole to task BIG TIME for pushing her way into a royal household and running things like she (Carole) is the one married to a prince. You can read the full DM piece here. Some highlights:

Anmer is a full house: The Mail says in addition to Carole and the Cambridges, “there’s also a night nurse, a nanny, a housekeeper, a chef, an assortment of protection officers and Lupo the dog, currently sporting a new pink collar in honour of Princess Charlotte’s birth.”

The staff nicknamed Carole “The Gatekeeper”: One source says, ‘She runs the home, chooses the food — not too fattening, as Kate wants to regain her figure as quickly as possible — and the seasonal floral displays. She instructs nannies and maternity nurses. Basically, she ensures that the family never have to see or deal with anything unpleasant. Carole forms the front line between the Cambridges and the outside world.’

Michael Middleton sort of hates his wife: Michael, it is said, wants to keep his distance. He wants to give his daughter and her family some space to just be a family, without Carole interfering. A source says Michael is “ill at ease at the negative attention Carole garners over her constant presence.” This disagreement between Carole and Michael is “said to be causing tension in their marriage.”

Michael waited to see his granddaughter: Pippa and Carole were the first relatives to see baby Charlotte. Michael purposefully waited until Prince Charles had a chance to meet Charlotte, because Michael thought that would look better.

Carole wants to buy a home close to Anmer Hall: She’s already been talking to real estate agents in Norfolk. But Michael isn’t interested in moving.

William’s friends don’t understand Carole’s constant presence: A source says, ‘It’s a class issue. It seems very peculiar to his friends because, generally, upper class mothers are much less involved. That’s why they have nannies and maternity nurses.’

Carole wants to be part of Team Cambridge: Sources say she wants to organize their whole lives, and make all of the arrangements for George and Charlotte. Kate, it is said, “only really relaxes when her mother is around to keep the show on the road” and Kate “relies on Carole to manage the staff; most of whom have transferred to Anmer from Kensington Palace.”

Carole manages everything: She has a list of demands about how clothes should be laundered, what flowers should be on display, where the dog leashes go, which candles go where, the lavish-ness of the breakfasts and high teas. Carole likes to supervise George’s playtime, swimming lessons and his bedtime (Carole is the one reading to him, apparently). Carole eats dinner with Kate and William and no one is allowed to take any calls (except William).

Carole is organizing two parties at Anmer Hall. She’s even doing the menu with the royal chef.

[From The Daily Mail]

While I think it’s perfectly understandable and reasonable for a woman to want her mom around during a pregnancy and immediately afterwards, I find myself growing more and more disturbed by the mother-daughter dynamic between Carole and Kate. If my mother ever tried to organize my life, my household or my (non-existent) marriage and children to this extent, it would drive me up the wall. It reeks of a arrested development/perpetual adolescence for 33-year-old Kate (not to mention William). And I really don’t understand how Kate can be four years into her marriage and still not have a basic understanding of how to organize her own household? Why does Mommy have to organize everything? Surely it’s not too much work for Kate to simply tell the full phalanx of staffers how she wants her eggs cooked and what candles to light?

Photos courtesy of WENN.