Gary Goldsmith, the controversial uncle of Catherine, Princess of Wales, has reportedly signed a lucrative deal to appear on the upcoming series of ITV’s Celebrity Big Brother. The move has sparked concern amongst royal experts and insiders over what Goldsmith may reveal about the royal family while on the show.
GB News learnt that, Goldsmith, 58, is the younger brother of Carole Middleton and has long been considered the “black sheep” of the Middleton family. He has a colorful past, including being caught on video in 2009 cutting lines of cocaine in Ibiza with a sex worker. In 2017, he also admitted to punching his fourth wife Julie-Ann in the face after a charity event.
Despite his checkered history, Goldsmith has remained close with his sister Carole and niece Kate. He runs an IT recruitment business which has made him extremely wealthy, with an estimated net worth of £30 million. Goldsmith attended Kate’s wedding to Prince William in 2011.
According to The Sun, Goldsmith is “champing at the bit” to appear on Celebrity Big Brother, which returns to ITV on March 4th. He had previously auditioned for a spot on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! but was ultimately rejected over concerns by ITV bosses that his appearance could embarrass Kate and William.
It seems ITV is now more willing to take a risk on the controversial royal relation. An insider told The Sun, “The CBB team love him because of his link to Kate and the fact that he’s confident and loud and won’t hold back.”
What concerns royal watchers is Goldsmith’s outspokenness and willingness to openly discuss all topics – including his opinions on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from the royal family.
Royal biographer Angela Levin told GB News, “Even though I believe he is a millionaire, he would like to make money out of it and I think that’s a shame. The thing is, he probably thinks he can control whatever he says and become famous. But in actual fact, with the cameras running all the time, you can easily slip and say something completely inappropriate.”
“It will get people watching. I think it’s the wrong thing to do, particularly at the wrong time,” Levin continued. “He should have said, look, I’m sorry, I don’t want any questions about my niece and I won’t be coming on the show.”
Richard Fitzwilliams, another royal expert, called Goldsmith’s decision to join Celebrity Big Brother “cringe-making” and “very embarrassing.”
He explained, “I think he will try really hard to make comments about the Sussexes, because I don’t think most people know who he is and most people are that interested. He is the family black sheep.”
any comments perceived as embarrassing or insensitive towards the Princess of Wales could backfire badly.
Angela Levin cautioned, “The trouble with these programs is they don’t remember there are cameras running all the time, and he could say something inappropriate, and it can be quite dangerous.” She added, “It’s not appropriate behavior, really.”
Could Goldsmith’s Appearance Backfire?
While ITV likely hopes Goldsmith will bring drama and intrigue to Celebrity Big Brother, his appearance could seriously backfire if he goes too far revealing private details about Kate and William or makes controversial remarks about Harry and Meghan.
The royals traditionally avoid being drawn into messy public feuds or providing intimate access to their private lives. Having Kate’s uncle break this unwritten rule on national television would be incredibly embarrassing for the Princess and future queen.
Goldsmith also better tread carefully when discussing the Sussexes, who have demonstrated their willingness to fight back against what they consider unfair media attacks. Any inflammatory or untruthful allegations against Meghan and Harry could potentially draw legal threats – or at least trigger another round of explosive interviews from the ex-royals.
After Prince Harry’s memoir Spare aired the royal family’s dirty laundry to the world, the last thing needed is another relative stirring the pot with new accusations and revelations. For Kate’s sake, hopefully Goldsmith shows discretion, but his history suggests otherwise.
The British public will ultimately decide if Goldsmith makes for good reality television or simply comes across as a crass embarrassment. But regardless of how it plays out publicly, Princess Kate is likely dismayed that her attention-seeking uncle is taking the spotlight once again and could damage the carefully crafted image of the royal family in the process.
