Please could I try to help by adding a bit of Middleton family background information [some of which I have already posted on other relevant threads].
I have just seen the comments on the Middleton family's coat of arms and would like to add a bit of extra detail: No one 'inherits' a coat of arms as such [it is a common misconception]. Every coat of arms has to be granted by the College of Arms, which is itself a branch of the Royal Household. Individuals desirous of having a Coat of Arms petition the College of Arms for such a grant [anyone can apply] and you are assigned a Herald who will conduct the necessary research to draw up a suitable coat of arms. My father's Coat of Arms was derived from his family's etc etc etc. When I was an unmarried daugher, I was entitled to bear an armature derived from my father's coat of arms, and when I married we could have petitoned the College of Arms to come up with a Coat of Arms for us which in effect would have had the lozenge I was entitled to bear impaled on the new 'joint' coat. But there was no need for us to have a Coat of Arms, so we didn't.
Obviously, if you are from a very aristocratic background, there will be more of what I will call 'source material' for the Herald to work from. I also have to say that once you go back 6 or 7 generations, because the UK population was so much smaller than it is today [and because of course there was not so much migration back then] it is quite easy to find that almost anyone has some 'aristocratic' forebears! The other problem with Coats of Arms is the misunderstanding about 'purchasing' them; in reality, the fact that money changes hands is because the College of Arms [although a branch of the Royal Household] is required to be 'self-supporting' financially, and so it up to the individual granted the coat of arms to pay the Herald for carrying out the necessary research. You also do not technically inherit a Coat of Arms. The College has to draw up an appropriate Coat of Arms in each case.
As for the Middletons at Royal Ascot, I actually was present in the Royal Enclosure when the Middletons were there. The other parties in the carriage procession that day were NOT part of the racing syndicate that the Carole Middleton is in. There was actually adverse comment from unkind people when the carriage containing Carole Middleton arrived in the Paddock. I know this because I heard what some of those in the Royal Enclosure were saying: namely that Carole was 'far too Orange' to be a lady [ her fake tan was not too good in my humble opinion] and unkind people were also saying that Carole was waving far too enthusiastically, which was apparently felt to be infra dig. In my humble opinion it is also not correct for people to express such remarks about Carole - revealing their own lack of breeding if you see what I mean.
Actually, in my own opinion, the reason why there was a lot of adverse comment expressed in the Royal Enclosure about Carole Middleton lay in the fact that it is unusual for a parent of a Royal Bride [for want of a better phrase] to be invited to a function when the daughter in question is absent. Sophie has always been present at Royal Ascot when her father has been there [from memory, he started to appear in the Royal Carriage procession after his wife (i.e. Sophie's mother) had died and his prescence at Royal Ascot was said to be the kindness of the Queen to a widower now on his own.
Sarah, Duchess of York's mother was a prominent guest in the Royal Enclosure after her daughter's marriage [but of course neither Susan Barrantes or Sarah were seen after the Royal Divorce]. I cannot ever remember Diana's parents being invited but then again, this might have been due to the fact that Susan Barrantes did know the Queen and Prince Phillip well from Polo.
I do think that the appearance of Catherine's parents at Royal Ascot does underline the effort that the Queen now makes with 'in-laws'. The mother of Mark Philips once remarked that after Mark and Anne's marriage, the only contact that the two families had was the fact that the Queen sent them a card at Christmas. [Incidentally, Mark's mother herself came from a quite aristocratic background].
I feel sorry for the Middletons - I think that the reason for the disdain they suffer in some circles is because Carole is apparently the 'brains' behind the business and is therefore felt to be 'pushy'. Why seeking to better your family's lot should be frowned on, I do not know.
Catherine's father Michael was indeed never a pilot -details of his career at British Airways were given by the airline itself shortly after the Royal Engagement was announced, when they said that he had been employed in various admin roles, never on the flight deck and his most senior position had been as a flight despatcher.
Hope some of this helps,
Alex
