Baker who made William and Kate's wedding cake is left out of pocket by Party ... trends now
Carole Middleton is said to be 'mortified' that the woman who made her daughter Kate's wedding cake is among those left out of pocket following the collapse of her family firm Party Pieces.
High-end baker Fiona Cairns, 65, designed the magnificent cake for Kate's wedding to Prince William in 2011 and made the christening cakes for Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.
Now her eponymous company is included on the long list of creditors owed a total of £2.6m by the Middletons' family company, which they've been warned they are 'unlikely' to see repaid.
Fiona Cairns Ltd's unpaid debt of £3,880 is far smaller than many on the list of more than 50 trade creditors but given her intimate connection to the Middletons and the Royals, her inclusion is 'extremely awkward and embarrassing' for the family and Carole, according to sources.
Known as the Queen Of Cakes, Ms Cairns, based in Leicestershire, not only made the Royal couple's wedding cake, but also a 70th Birthday cake for King Charles in 2018.
High-end baker Fiona Cairns, 65, designed the magnificent cake for Kate's wedding to Prince William in 2011 and made the christening cakes for Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte
On the company's Instagram page, Ms Cairns regularly posts her congratulations to William and Kate on their wedding anniversary each April.
Ms Cairns spoke recently about her most famous creation, the metre-high, 100kg cake which reflected the intricate lace detail of Kate's dress in 2011.
'It was the most stressful thing I've ever done,' she told the Daily Mail.
'I had sleepless nights beforehand because when you've done this for as long as I have, you know what can go wrong. We had every eventuality covered – there was even a second cake waiting – but you're still a bag of nerves. I have to confess, I had a little weep while we were setting up in Buckingham Palace.
'Just for a moment I was overwhelmed. We talked about all the people who were going to have a piece and, really, in those terms it's incredible.'
She had nothing to worry about: 'William and Kate said it had surpassed their expectations, which was wonderful. At the end of the day, all that matters with wedding cakes is that the couple involved are happy with it.'
Ms Cairns said she felt very faint when she got the call to attend Clarence House to talk about designs?
The Prince and Princess of Wales following their marriage at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011
Although she said hello to Prince William, it was Kate who sat down with her to go through ideas.
'She was one of the most clued-up brides I've had,' she said.
'She had very definite ideas about what she wanted. The cake was to tell a story, along with the dress.'
Kate gave Fiona detailed instructions about how she wanted 17 different blooms and foliage included – each one having a different meaning or symbolism.
Fiona's other celebrity clients have included Sir Paul McCartney, Bono, Pink Floyd and Simply Red, among the 750,000 cakes the firm turns out each year.
In 2019, Fiona Cairns also made the cake for Lady Gabriella Windsor's Wedding at Frogmore House. Ms Cairns posted on Instagram: 'We were so
