Carole and Kate Middleton both keep this room as the ‘heart’ of their homes

Carole Middleton has seemingly inspired her daughter the Princess of Wales in many ways – from similar fashion choices to parenting styles. And Carole’s influence extends to the home too, where her daughter has seemingly mirrored her mom’s “favorite room” and made it a focal point of life for the Wales’ and their visitors.

Over the years we’ve been treated to very few glimpses inside the Princess of Wales’s homes, Anmer Hall and Adelaide Cottage, and of Michael and Carole Middleton’s gorgeous house in Bucklebury. However, whilst we might not have a clear idea of what all their interiors look like, Carole and Kate share a love for making the kitchen a focus in their homes.

Mother and daughter are understood to both have open kitchens where they can spend time with loved ones as well as enjoy meals – and where Kate is thought to carry out her tradition of baking a birthday cake for her children each year.

According to Hello!, when asked about her favorite room in an interview with Good Housekeeping in 2021, Carole didn’t hesitate to stress the importance of her kitchen- and its multi-functional feel.

“My kitchen. It’s a kitchen/dining/sitting room and it’s the heart of the house,” she explained, before adding that it had also previously been a place where she worked during the pandemic.

Fans have seen Carole Middleton’s farmhouse-core kitchen with its stunning cream tiles, wooden details and black kettle on social media before, in a video shared by her son James. Whilst Carole confirmed that she’s got a traditional Aga which keeps it “always warm”. She went on to describe exactly how she and Michael like to use their kitchen and it’s apparently a focal point for the Middletons when they entertain too.

“I love a kitchen supper,” Carole said. “Where I have a small number of guests. I’ll cook something delicious and make it look lovely, then we’ll finish with a kitchen disco.”

Shop Traditional Kitchen Inspiration

Kitchen discos sound like an excellent way to make use of the space and the Princess of Wales might well have been inspired by her mom’s choice to make her kitchen a hub when they renovated their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.

The renovations were discovered through a book about the late Queen Elizabeth, who reportedly let her feelings on the style be known.

Author of Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, Sally Bedell Smith, once claimed to People, “I remember when they had just finished renovating Anmer Hall, and they invited the Queen over for lunch. They have one of those big kitchens with eating areas, and she said, ‘I can’t understand why everybody spends their time in the kitchen.'”

Kitchen trends come and go – and this one wasn’t to Her Majesty’s liking – but Agas like Carole’s are very traditional and the Kate’s kitchen also has a rustic, farmhouse feel and a forest green range cooker.

Back in 2021 the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a montage of pictures of Kate, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis baking cakes for a Platinum Jubilee street party.

At the time the family hadn’t moved to Windsor so it’s likely the kitchen at Anmer Hall or Kensington Palace. Either way, it was stunning and also featured creamy wooden cabinets and a large, natural wood workbench, with Kate’s KitchenAid Artisan Mixer in a cream shade put to good use for the baking.

The neutral tones and classic detailing is something also evident in Carole’s kitchen and mother and daughter appear to have similar taste when it comes to the kitchen – the “heart” of their homes.