Prince William and Kate Middleton — aka Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine,
Duchess of Cambridge — are best known for their storybook wedding and beautiful family.
But there are a lot of myths out there about these two. Here are some false facts everyone
believes about William and Kate.
Kate's strict etiquette?
Kate Middleton is often heralded for never taking a misstep when representing her famous
family at official engagements, but she's actually breached royal fashion protocol a
few times.
One example is when the then-future duchess famously wore her hair half-down, half-up
at her wedding. Apparently, that's not what the family wanted. Royal reporter Ashley Pearson
said in the documentary William & Kate: The Journey,
"Royal sources tell me that the royals indicated very strongly to Kate that they would prefer
her to wear her hair up for this very special occasion. However, Kate had her heart set
on wearing her hair down with long flowing curls, which is her favorite way to wear it,
and actually William's favorite as well."
She's also been photographed on many occasions wearing wedges, which the queen is reportedly
not a big fan of, and she has been photographed in dark nail polish, despite the queen seeming
to prefer light shades for royal women, according to Town & Country.
Kate's modest upbringing?
There is a long-standing myth that Kate Middleton came from a working-class home with parents
of modest jobs and income. In fact, many believe she's one of very few working class people
to have married into the royal family. However, that's actually not quite accurate. While
there's no denying that Kate married into considerable wealth when she married Prince
William, she actually was already wealthy.
Kate's parents made their fortune from their party supplies business, Party Pieces. This
business proved so successful they made enough money to purchase a beautiful five-bedroom
house and ultimately send their daughter to elite private school Marlborough and then
later to St. Andrews for university, as noted by Vanity Fair.
This family business shaped much of Kate's childhood. In a 2018 Vanity Fair interview,
Carole, Kate's mom, even shared that Kate was on the cover of one of the Party Pieces
catalogues, blowing out candles as a little girl.
Kate's almond milk obsession?
While Kate Middleton is undeniably fit and active and is known to watch what she eats,
she's apparently not obsessed with a certain plant-based alternative beverage, as some
claim.
In 2017, a Self article listed almond milk as one of Kate's favorite foods, so, presumably
believing the publication or a similar report, an employee at a charity-run café set out
almond milk for the royal during her visit in 2018. But apparently, Kate's not a big
fan. The duchess was quoted saying in People magazine,
"Don't believe everything you read. I don't even like almond milk."
That said, the duchess does like to keep things healthy. Marie Claire reported that she's
tried a diet that involves giving up most carbohydrates in favor of lean proteins and
vegetables.
Meghan made Kate cry?
No, despite reports to the contrary, Meghan Markle didn't make Kate Middleton cry when
shopping for Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress. It turns out that what happened was
actually the other way around, according to an interview Markle, the Duchess of Sussex,
did with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. She insisted that it was actually Kate who made
her cry. Markle told Oprah,
"The reverse happened. And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was
a really hard week of the wedding, and she was upset about something. But she owned it,
and she apologized and she brought me flowers and a note apologizing."
"A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining, yes, the issue
was correct, about flower girl dresses. And it made me cry."
Well, that kind of changes the story, especially since it seems no effort was made by the royal
family to correct the media when, for years, they were telling the opposite version of
the story to the public.
Together since college?
While Prince William and Kate Middleton did get to know one another during their freshman
year at university, they became friends first, and they reportedly only started to feel a
spark later on in college when they ended up sharing an apartment with some friends.
"We were friends for over a year first."
And though many may think of the two as sticking by each other since they started dating, they
actually broke up in 2007. Why? According to an excerpt from William and Kate: A Royal
Love Story, William wasn't ready to marry. It was reported Prince Charles was an influence,
as he was worried his son would rush into marriage as he had and have it not work out.
Shockingly, this breakup happened in a phone call! According to Marie Claire, William once
said of the split,
"We were both very young. We were both finding ourselves."
But true love will not be denied. The couple got back together a few months later, and
they got engaged a few years later in 2010.
William inherited Diana's ring?
While Kate Middleton does wear Princess Diana's ring, and — obviously — Prince William
did give it to her, Prince William actually did not inherit it from his mother.
Younger brother Prince Harry actually inherited the ring from their mother upon her death,
but the brothers had reportedly made an agreement that whichever one of them got married first
would give the ring to their intended bride, according to Vogue.
As William and Kate got married years before Harry even met Meghan Markle, Kate got Diana's
ring. The ring has some history behind it, as Princess Diana chose her own engagement
ring, a 12-carat sapphire stone with a ring of 14 diamonds set in white gold. At the time,
it got a lot of attention because it was chosen from a catalog.
Kate is "just" a duchess?
While Kate Middleton may go by the title Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, she's actually also
a princess.
Kate's official title is Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, and "Her Royal Highness"
is actually a designation for senior royal members. However, British tradition has only
blood princesses — that is, women born as princesses — as using the title of princess
in their own right, ahead of their first name. Those who marry into royalty instead take
on an extension of their husband's title. So Kate is not "Princess Kate," but she is
"Her Royal Highness, Princess William of Wales."
Notably, when the couple's third child, Prince Louis, was born, that was how her name was
reflected on his birth certificate, according to CNBC. Prince William is listed as "Prince
of the United Kingdom" in the "occupation" section of the certificate, while Kate wrote,
"Princess of the United Kingdom."
William and Kate met in college?
Though it's been thought that the first time Prince William and Kate Middleton crossed
paths was at university, they reportedly encountered one another for the very first time at the
tender age of 9 when their schools' sports teams competed against one another.
Royal biographer Kate Nicholls told Grazia that Kate first saw William while his prep
school was playing against hers in a hockey match.
This couple, who first connected over sports, have continued to enjoy games together, even
as a longtime married couple with three small children. Hey, whatever keeps the spark alive!
The press is easy on Kate?
The UK media, easy on Kate? Totally untrue! The media has a long history of interest in
the royal family, and other royals before Meghan Markle have had a rough time of it,
though not to the same extent. This most notably includes the late Princess Diana — but also
Kate Middleton!
While Meghan did have it much worse, the media also did harass Kate. Since she was Prince
William's college girlfriend, the press wondered if she was a suitable bride and even gave
her the nickname "Waity Katie," as she dated William for many years before marriage.
At one point, William was angered by how Kate had been treated and issued a statement asking
the press to leave Kate alone. It read, in part,
"Prince William is very unhappy at the paparazzi harassment of his girlfriend. He wants, more
than anything, for it to stop. Miss Middleton should, like any other private individual,
be able to go about her everyday business without this kind of intrusion."
Kate and William don't work?
This beloved royal couple actually does work, and they work very hard! But their job may
not look like the jobs the rest of us have.
As active working members of the royal family, their job is quite simply to assist the queen
in carrying out her duties and also to work in "public and charitable service," as noted
by the royal family's website.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are active senior members of the royal family and make
appearances at events and take tours in their position. It may look like a whole lot of
garden parties and cocktail receptions, but it is their job! A fun and glamorous job to
be sure, though.
The pair both worked hard before they were married too. They both have college degrees:
William graduated with a master of arts degree in geography, and Kate earned a master of
arts degree in art history. Before becoming full-time royals, Kate Middleton worked as
an accessories buyer for fashion brand Jigsaw, and Prince William flew for the East Anglian
Air Ambulance.
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