Kate Middleton's Latest Headache? Her Uncle Turned ‘Celebrity Big Brother U.K.’ Reality Star, Gary Goldsmith

Last year, it was reported that the Princess of Wales’ uncle Gary Goldsmith—the younger brother of Kate’s mother, Carole (Goldsmith) Middleton—was poised to write a memoir that would serve as the royal family’s response to Spare, written by Prince Harry. That never panned out, but Goldsmith is certainly in the spotlight, starring on the latest season of Celebrity Big Brother U.K., and stirring up some drama.

One of Goldsmith’s many opinions shared includes his belief that Harry will one day be back in the royal family fold—in his exact words, that Harry will “come back and be part of the gang”—but that he’s not handling familial relations well at present. “You can’t throw your family under the bus in such a dramatic style and write books about it and then expect to be invited around for Christmas,” Goldsmith said.

On the show’s season 23 premiere, Goldsmith was asked by a fellow contestant if he could speak openly about the royal family. “I can pretty much say my opinion about everything unless there’s a red laser dot on my chest,” he said. Of Harry, Goldsmith said he believed that the Duke of Sussex “was really, really loved, massively loved,” and that Harry, Kate, and Prince William in particular had a close bond, adding they “looked really comfortable together.”

Alluding to Meghan Markle’s entrance into the picture in 2016, Goldsmith said the addition of another person to the trio “puts a stick in the spokes and creates so much drama that I genuinely don’t think is there and rewrites the history and said how unhappy [Harry] was, and I don’t think that’s fair. I just think it’s really sad.”

Goldsmith went on to pointedly defend his niece, saying of Kate that she is “beautiful on the outside, but more beautiful on the inside, and really is a doting mom,” he said. “That’s why I got so upset with Harry and Meghan, because you don’t put a stick into that spoke and reinvent history. I got pretty miffed when they had a pop at my beautiful niece, who couldn’t say anything for herself.” He gushed over his niece with aplomb, calling her “the most spectacular person I’ve ever met.”

Of Kate’s recent health woes—and the rampant conspiracy theories swirling the internet and social media around them—Goldsmith implored the public to give her “space” to recover. “I think they should leave her alone right now because there’s a reason why they’re [the royal family] not talking about it, and they are giving her a little bit of space,” he said, per The Mirror. “I just think it’s fundamentally wrong, and if it was happening to anybody else, they would think to give them some space. But because Kate’s Kate, she does such an amazing job, there’s always interest in her. She’s the No. 1 royal for a reason, and I just beg people to give her some space.” 

According to The Mirror, Goldsmith was reportedly “read the riot act” by his sister Carole Middleton over his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother U.K. before going on the show. “They call me a ‘Buncle’—a bad uncle,” Goldsmith said. “Apparently, every family has them.”