Carole Middleton shares rare childhood photo of Kate Middleton and fans are saying the same thing

Carole Middleton has shared a rare family throwback snap of Kate Middleton and fans are all saying the same thing.

• Carole Middleton is celebrating her 67th birthday and to mark it, her Party Pieces business shared a rare family snap of Kate Middleton as a child.
• The businesswoman is the mother to the Duchess of Cambridge can be seen surrounded by her children in the party photo.
• This royal news comes as Prince William and Kate Middleton set to make huge change for ‘quiet family life’

Carole Middleton's Party Pieces business has shared a rare childhood photograph of Kate Middleton but you might be distracted by how much the young businesswoman looks like the Duchess today.

The photograph, featuring all three Middleton children, was taken in 1989 - two years after mum Carole launched the partyware business Party Pieces but it's Carole herself who looks familiar in the snap, as fans have likened her to a modern-day Kate.

The post, uploaded to Instagram, was captioned, 'Happiest of Birthdays to the party planner extraordinaire! We hope you have the most magical day.'

And it comes after Carole marks a huge achievement, and sparked an unexpected reaction from fans.

One fan wrote, 'Happy Birthday Carole, what a wonderful photo. Oh my, how much does she look like daughter Kate in this photo. Beautiful x'

Another fan put, 'Beauty, Elegance and Agility are the characteristics of a Middleton Girl. ✨ Happy Birthday Carole! 🎉🥂 Wish you a great day and an amazing new year! ❤️'

And a third fan added, 'Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Carole Middleton, a wonderful mother and a lovely grandmother🎉🎊🎂🎈💐'

Carole can be seen beaming with joy as a four-year-old Pippa Middleton and seven-year-old Catherine show off their cheeky sides by blowing party horns at their mum's face.

Meanwhile, a tiny James, then aged two, appears to be a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing behind his mum.

In the early years, Kate and her siblings used to model a lot for the family business, and the snap was previously shared to mark the company's 30th birthday back in 2017.

And although in the rare snap a young Kate is sporting a fringe that is fuller than we have seen her in recent years after she stepped out with a new dark hair transformation, her mother Carole shares the early signature Kate Middleton look with her long hair, wispy fringe, and beaming smile.

It's not the first time Kate and Carole have been noticed for their striking resemblance.  You can watch a clip below which features other times the pair have struck a doppleganger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svLUWHJ0sys

It's likely that Carole would have spent the day surrounded by her family and grandchildren as she previously hinted at a party ahead of Kate's 40th birthday.