The Princess of Wales' uncle Gary Goldsmith is rumoured to be appearing on Celebrity Big Brother on Monday night. If his past interviews and colourful reports about him are anything to go by, viewers can expect some controversy from the millionaire businessman.
While Gary, 58, has always spoken favourably about his royal niece Kate, he has publicly taken aim at other royals including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
He is said to be joining this year's line-up having secured a substantial deal with ITV bosses, although his appearance is likely to prompt fears of embarrassment from the royal family, and he has not had the blessing of his older sister Carole Middleton.
So who is Gary, what's his family life like, and what's his relationship with Princess Kate?
© GettyHow is Gary related to Princess Kate?
Gary is the younger brother of Carole Middleton, making him the maternal uncle of the Princess of Wales.
Gary's wife and daughter
The recruitment advisor has been married four times and has one child, a daughter Tallulah, with his second wife, Luan, who he married in 1997.
At Gary's first wedding to sales executive Miranda Foote in 1993, Princess Kate and her younger sister Pippa Middleton were bridesmaids, while Kate's brother James Middleton was a pageboy.
His third wife was Julia Leake, but after their marriage broke down, he married his fourth wife, Julie-Ann Brown.
Gary and his daughter Tallulah were guests at Pippa Middleton's wedding ceremony to James Matthews in May 2017, with the bride's uncle sharing a photo of the pair on Twitter on the big day. Speaking volumes about his strained relationship with Carole and the Middletons though, Gary was not invited to Pippa's post-church wedding reception at Bucklebury Manor.
© GettyHis drunken arrest
Gary has been caught up in several scandals over the years, including being pictured with drugs in Ibiza in 2009.
In October 2017, he was arrested following a drunken argument with his fourth wife, Julie-Ann, which took place outside their central London home in the early hours of the morning following a charity event.
© GettyThe Met said at the time of his arrest: "Police in Westminster were called to an address at 01:24hrs on Friday 13 October following reports of a domestic incident. Officers arrested a 52-year-old man on suspicion of domestic assault. He has been taken to a central London police station for questioning. A woman found injured was taken to hospital."
Gary later pleaded guilty to assault by beating and fined £5,000 by the court.
Gary's job and making millions
Despite coming from humble stock, Gary, like his sister Carole Middleton, is a self-made millionaire. He made his living building an IT recruitment business, Computer Futures, in which he had shares. His fortune at one point was reported to be worth £30 million.
On his LinkedIn profile, he states about his time at Computer Futures: "In my first six years, I started and grew their contract business and as a result, we took company revenue from £3m to £258m. On the day of the IPO, whilst delivering 60% of revenue, I created 27 millionaires."
He continued: "Rich and bored, I put up with inaccurate headlines. I've now sharpened up as a strategic, straight-shooting NED. I give clarity, confidence and courage so my friends succeed. The No 1 rated recruitment advisor? Probably. In my head, obviously."
Since 2014, he has been the co-founder of RDLC Pirates, which Gary calls "the world's largest, most positively impactful and still fastest growing network for aspiring Recruitment Business Leaders".
His relationship with William and Kate
Gary first met Prince William at a family dinner party when he and Kate were dating.
Reflecting on the meeting, Gary told HELLO! in a 2013 interview: "When I saw them together you actually just thought, even if he wasn’t going to be the King, they would make a great couple. They were very, very good together."
Before some of his more colourful shenanigans, Gary had a stable relationship with the Middletons. He used to own an eight-acre luxury property in Ibiza, called La Maison de Bang Bang, which he invited William and Kate to in 2006.
"Carole asked if the family and Prince William could use it," he told HELLO! "We organized a whole itinerary for them, including going over to a neighbouring island on a boat.
"Back at the house a friend of mine was teaching William how to mix on the DJ decks and he performed to the whole family as they swam. So they all had the Ibiza experience from mud baths, to (nightclub) Pacha, to learning how to mix music."
Gary was among the guests at Prince William and Kate's royal wedding in April 2011. "It's a fairy tale beyond fairy tales," he told ITV at the time. "We come from really humble stock. My father was a painter and decorator, mum was an accounts clerk and their eldest granddaughter was at Westminster Abbey about to marry the future king of this country."
Gary's remarks on Princess Kate
Gary often speaks about his royal niece with pride, telling HELLO! in 2013: "She is this confident, clever, caring girl who has taken her responsibilities in marriage and job incredibly seriously. I think everyone thinks she's sincere, in love and doing her job to the best of her ability."
In the same interview, he noted: "Kate works really hard at everything. She is brilliant at whatever she turns her hand to, but works at it, throwing herself into everything. Whereas Pippa, everything seems to come very easily."
According to reports, he has no plans to embarrass Kate and the royal family during his time on Celebrity Big Brother.
Gary's outspoken comments about Harry and Meghan
The businessman has spoken less favourably of other royals, however, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In a post on LinkedIn, Gary previously called the Sussexes "two muppets craving attention" in response to them speaking about Black Lives Matter during the pandemic.
"I used to have a lot of respect for Harry and his army career but this new Harry is someone I don’t recognise," Gary told the Mail Online in 2020.
"I find it totally frustrating when we are trying to save lives and look after UK PLC, to be lectured daily on any topic they deem to be important. They have abdicated the UK for the US and obviously don’t give a damn about the royal family.
"We've all had enough of them lecturing us. You can't sell your soul to Netflix for a reported £150 million and then dictate to Mother England."
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