Kate’s dad turns 75 today: Michael Middleton has seen his daughter courageously battle cancer for months – and he and Carole have been her rock

Michael and Carole Middleton have played a growing role in royal life
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His visit to Royal Ascot with wife Carole last week told the nation that their daughter Kate is doing well as she continues her cancer treatment.

But, as he turns 75 today, Michael Middleton may well be reflecting on just how difficult this year has been for his family and the royals.

The Princess of Wales and her husband Prince William have relied on Michael and Carole’s support since her diagnosis, which was announced after King Charles revealed his own fight with the disease.

The ongoing health challenges faced by his daughter and the King come after joyous news last October, when Michael and Carole’s son James welcomed baby son Inigo with his wife Alizee Thevenet.

Born in Leeds in 1949, Michael was brought up by parents Captain Peter Middleton and Valerie Glassborow, it was a family with aristocratic antecedents.

Both served in the Second World War – Peter as a pilot in the Royal Air Force and Valerie as a code breaker and volunteer nurse.

During his service in the RAF, Peter flew alongside Prince Philip as co-pilot during a two-month flying tour of South America in 1962.

Like his father and grandfather, Michael attended Clifton College, a boarding school in Bristol, before going on to study and graduate from the University of Surrey.

Michael had originally planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a pilot.

He studied at the British European Airways’ flight school, before deciding to be part of the ground crew.

Michael then started working for British Airways as a flight dispatcher, where he met Carole – whose maiden name was Goldsmith.

The couple were married on June 21, 1980, at the Church of St. James in Buckinghamshire.