How Kate Middleton's 'black sheep' uncle Gary Goldsmith could 'embarrass' the royal family with his views on Harry and Meghan after signing up for Celebrity Big Brother

Outspoken businessman is reported to have inked a meaty deal with ITV bosses 

By James Callery and Jon Brady

Published: 14:19 EST, 27 January 2024 | Updated: 14:33 EST, 27 January 2024

Kate Middleton's 'black sheep' uncle Gary Goldsmith could 'embarrass' the Royal Family with his views on Harry and Meghan after signing up for Celebrity Big Brother, experts have warned.

The outspoken businessman, 58, brother of Kate's mother Carole, is reported to have inked a meaty deal with bosses for the return of the celebrity edition of the series after a six-year absence.

It comes at a challenging time for the Royals, as Kate continues to recover from her abdominal surgery at The London Clinic after she was admitted on Tu esday last week and King Charles remains in the hospital for a second day after undergoing a procedure for an enlarged prostate.

A source told The Sun that Mr Goldsmith has finalised the terms of his deal today and is excited to get into the house. 

Mr Goldsmith attempted to gain a spot on I'm A Celebrity last year, but was turned down over concerns it could embarrass William and Kate.

Gary Goldsmith. The outspoken businessman, 58, is reported to have inked a meaty deal with bosses for the return of the celebrity edition of the series after a six-year absence.

It comes at a challenging time for the Royals, as Kate continues to recover from her abdominal surgery at The London Clinic after she was admitted on Tuesday last week, with King Charles also undergoing surgery for an enlarged prostate on Friday (File Photo)

He previously spoke out against Harry and Meghan after the release of Spare and is known for his 'outspoken' opinions on the couple.

Royal experts have now criticised the decision to welcome him into the Celebrity Big Brother house â€Â" calling the move 'embarrassing' and possibly 'dangerous' to the Royal Family during a testing period.

Kate, 42, is not expected to carry out official engagements until after Easter, with the Prince of Wales clearing his diary of official duties for the time being. 

Angela Levin told The Sun: 'I think it's cringe-making, very embarrassing, the trouble is he doesn't like Harry and Meghan at all, some of this comments will fall onto Catherine and she's had a lot against her, she's not well, she's in hospital.

'I think when you come out of an operation you're quite vulnerable and this could upset her enormously. In principle people who don't like her could say she encouraged him to do it, but she would have done nothing of the kind.

'It's very embarrassing. It's very hard being a Royal, and I don't know if this is a good idea.'

Show insiders say producers are delighted to have secured him as a contestant because of his links to the Royal Family â€Â" and because of his penchant for saying what he thinks, particularly about Kate's brother-in-law, Prince Harry. 

Mr Goldsmith attempted to gain a spot on I'm A Celebrity last year, but was turned down over concerns it could embarrass Willia m and Kate 

CBB, which is expected to air in March, is also reportedly lining up contestants such as Dragons' Den entrepreneur Levi Roots and music manager Louis Walsh. 

ITV has taken the reins of Big Brother following a stint at Channel 5, which axed the programme in 2018 after taking it off of Channel 4, which itself had binned the format in 2010. 

Royal biographer Richard Fitzwilliams agreed that the news would be the 'last thing' Kate needs while she is in hospital and noted that he doesn't think the Middleton's will be 'particularly delighted'.

Mr Fitzwilliams believes Mr Goldsmith would not be popular on the show, and adds that he will probably be a 'big yawn'. 

'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 said.

ITV bosses have reportedly been keeping tabs on Mr Goldsmith â€Â" who, writing for the Mail a year ago, slammed Harry's autobiography Spare as 'petulant, self-serving...fluff' â€Â" since his I'm A Celeb audition.

That ended in failure, allegedly because bosses were worried about his potential to embarrass the royal family, but CBB chiefs believe his brusque, shoot-from-the-hip style of straight-talking will fit the format of TV's most infamous house.

The source added: '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.

'He’s made it clear he will talk about everything and anything, and he’s pretty outspoken when it comes to Harry and Meghan. He could be TV gold and ITV knows it. The deal he sign ed is for good money.'

Mr Goldsmith attempted to gain a spot on I'm A Celebrity last year, but was turned down over concerns it could embarrass William and Kate.

Mr Goldsmith was a guest at William and Kate's wedding in 2011. He made his living building an IT recruitment business, but has been caught up in scandals including being pictured with drugs in Ibiza.

Since then he has attacked what he sees as insults to his family, including his niece and William, including episodes of The Crown, royal biographer Omid Scobie's book Endgame and Harry's memoir Spare.

At the end of 2023, he hit out at Endgame, which made a claim in its Dutch edition that the Princess of Wales was one of the 'royal racists' allegedly concerned about the skin colour of Harry and Meghan's son Archie.

Writing for the Mail, he said in December of Scobie: ' His book made me feel nauseous. I had to put it down many times because the content made me so angry and I haven't even been able to finish it.

'And now we're even being told that Kate has been "accidentally" named as the supposed royal racist, along with her father-in-law, King Charles.

'It's utterly ridiculous to consider that Kate is a racist.'

The Royal family has been contacted for comment.