Even though Kate Middleton's entire life is highly publicized, there are still a few things
about the Duchess that fans may be surprised to learn. Here are strange things that everyone
ignores about Kate Middleton.
Most fans of Kate Middleton and Prince William probably know that the pair first met while
studying at the University of St. Andrews. However, according to the biography Kate:
The Future Queen, Kate actually came across William when she was still a schoolgirl when
William was 9 years old. Apparently, her school welcomed William's school for a hockey game.
When the prince arrived at Kate's school, all of the students were eager to catch a
glimpse, including Kate. Of course, she had no idea she was laying eyes on her future
husband for the very first time!
It's pretty hard to imagine the Duchess of Cambridge sitting down in front of the TV
to binge watch a show on Netflix. However, it turns out, Kate Middleton is a little more
relatable than we thought. In an interview with the BBC, Kate and Prince William confessed
to watching quite a lot of TV at Kensington Palace. As William explained, the daytime
was usually taken up with children's shows. However, after the kids are in bed, the couple
frequently enjoys powering through a box set. William said,
"We've watched Homeland, we're big fans. We've watched Game of Thrones."
"When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."
And that's not all. In 2015, William presented the cast of Downton Abbey with an honorary
BAFTA. He revealed that the show was, quote, "one of Catherine's and my favorite programs."
In fact, Kate even got the chance to visit the set of Downton Abbey that same year. In
a video of the visit posted on the Kensington Palace Instagram page, Kate can be seen revealing
a plaque at the show's studio.
As you may know, the royals don't take on paid jobs — their full-time work consists
of royal duties, and Kate Middleton is no exception. However, in 2016, the Duchess did
try her hand at an honest day's work. As Vanity Fair reported, Kate spent a day at the Huffington
Post UK offices, where she took over as editor for the day as part of the Young Minds Matter
campaign.
Not only did Kate edit the Huffington Post UK website, she also published her own blog
post entitled "Let's Make a Real Difference for an Entire Generation of Young Children."
In her post, she wrote,
"It is such a privilege to have this opportunity to be Guest Editor of the Huffington Post
today, and to celebrate the amazing work being done to improve and understand the mental
health of young children."
She went on to explain that she and the team had commissioned a series of articles in honor
of the mental health campaign.
It's pretty hard to imagine Kate Middleton as a boy-crazed teenager; however, as Kate
revealed in her engagement interview in 2010, she once decorated her bedroom wall with a
poster of a Levi's model. When asked by the interviewer if she'd ever had a picture of
Prince William on her wall, she quipped,
"He wishes, no, no I had the Levi's guy on my wall, not a picture of William."
Apparently, rumors that Kate had once decked her walls with pictures of the Prince spread
when Jessica Hay, who once shared a dorm with Kate at boarding school, told the Mail on
Sunday that Kate had a huge crush on William.
We may never know whether Kate did have pictures of William up on her wall, but one thing's
clear: she certainly had a few teenage crushes in her time.
Can you imagine dating someone for five years and never meeting their family members? Well,
for Kate Middleton this is exactly what happened. In 2017, PopSugar reported that while Kate
was sometimes in the presence of Queen Elizabeth, Prince William's grandmother, she didn't get
to actually speak to her for five whole years.
So how exactly did things go down? One reporter said,
"While William and Kate were working out the first five years of their on-off relationship,
the Queen steered clear of meeting her grandson's girlfriend."
Apparently, on the three occasions that Kate and the Queen attended the same events, there
was apparently "zero interaction" between the pair. The report went on to explain that
in 2003, Kate was finally officially introduced to the Queen at William's 21st birthday. Sounds
like the Queen wanted to be absolutely sure that Kate was "the one" for her grandson before
agreeing to meet her.
Have you ever wondered why the press always seems to call Kate Middleton "Kate," while
the royal family always refer to her as "Catherine?" Well, it turns out, the Duchess isn't too
keen on her informal nickname. In fact, as Express reported, she once sent a slightly
awkward email to her friends asking them to stop calling her "Kate." The email in question
was apparently sent in 2008, a few years before she got engaged to Prince William. It sounds
like Kate was gearing up to join the royal family — and wanted to make sure she had
a name that suited her new position.
"You both look incredibly happy and relaxed."
"We are. We are. We're like sort of ducks, very calm on the surface, little feet going
underwater."
Columnist Adam Helliker broke the story, writing,
"With Prince William's engagement now a surefire certainty [...] there are intriguing signs
that Kate Middleton is preparing for her future role."
He went on to report that royal expert Daniela Elser had described her strange email as,
quote, "gentle" and "very jokey." Nevertheless, apparently, some of her friends were pretty
shocked by the request at the time.
Most people would probably expect a member of the royal family to be born and raised
in the United Kingdom. Of course, Meghan Markle proved to be an exception to that rule. However,
it turns out, part of Kate Middleton's upbringing also occurred overseas.
As PopSugar reported, Kate spent three years as a child in Amman, Jordan, as her father
was working as a flight dispatcher for British Airways at the time. Years later, Prince William
visited Jordan and even saw some of Kate's old haunts. And according to Hello!, William
met with Rania Malik, the chief executive officer of the Save The Children charity in
Jordan, who told him that he knew where Kate had lived in Jordan. Apparently, William replied,
"No way, she will be thrilled. She loved it here, she really did. She is very upset that
I am coming here without her."
Sounds like Kate has a very special connection with Jordan, even after all these years.
These days, Kate Middleton is either known fondly as "Kate" or officially as "Catherine."
However, back in her pre-royal days, the Duchess of Cambridge had some eyebrow-raising nicknames
that certainly wouldn't be appropriate for a future queen.
According to Mirror, Kate once confessed to a group of students that her old school nickname
was "Squeak," as inspired by the school guinea pig.
"There was one called Pip and one called Squeak, so my sister was called Pip and I was Squeak."
A less adorable nickname came a few years later when Kate was 16 at boarding school.
According to the royal author Claudia Joseph, who spoke in the documentary Kate Middleton:
Biography, Kate once "flashed her bottom at the boys out of the window." Apparently, the
Duchess developed quite the reputation at school, and was even dubbed "Kate Middlebum."
It's probably safe to say that that particular nickname is no longer used at the palace!
The royals have a long history with horses; from polo to hunting to the equestrian Olympics,
riding seems to be a prerequisite for joining the royal family. However, it turns out Kate
Middleton may have an allergy to her family's favorite animal. According to Town & Country,
Kate has literally never been seen on horseback. Rumor has it, the royal is allergic to horses!
However, as Marcia Moody, the author of Kate: A Biography, said,
"Kate doesn't ride, purely because she didn't do it growing up."
Regardless of her real reason for avoiding horses, in 2012, The Telegraph reported that
she was trying to set her allergy, and inexperience, aside by taking riding lessons.
Kate Middleton is often described as being one of the most modern members of the royal
family, thanks to her forward-thinking approach to childcare and feminism. However, it turns
out the Duchess has a few traditional bones in her body after all.
As Mirror reported, Kate decided to follow the age-old tradition of wearing "something
old, new, borrowed and blue" to her wedding ceremony. Her "something old" was her gown,
which was apparently made using an old 1800s lace technique called Carrickmacross craftsmanship.
For her "something new," Kate wore a brand new pair of earrings given to her by her parents.
"Something borrowed" was represented by her diamond tiara, which was gifted by the Queen.
Apparently, the Queen often lends royal brides royal tiaras for their weddings. Finally,
"something blue" was the blue sash on her gown, as noted by People. It's clear that
Kate does occasionally like a little bit of tradition!
Kate Middleton initially seems like the quintessential English woman; however, it seems that she
actually has some roots in America. And not just any roots — apparently, she's actually
distantly related to the first president of the United States, George Washington. As CBS
News reported, the New England Historical Genealogical Social initially found the ancestral
link. As they claim, Kate is Washington's eighth cousin, eight times removed.
And Washington isn't Kate's only American ancestor. She also has links to Meriwether
Lewis, famous for a 19th-century expedition. She also appears to be related to World War
II General George S. Patton, and the coincidences don't stop there. It turns out, Kate's ancestry
can actually be traced back to the ancestors of her own husband, Prince William. The pair
are reportedly 15th cousins! Sounds like Kate is less of a commoner than some people initially
thought!
Whether you believe in fate or not, this story is definitely a little strange. According
to Hello!, Kate Middleton once starred in a school play that predicted a strange number
of details about her future life.
For starters, Kate was just 13 when she played a young woman who visited a fortune teller.
Apparently, the fortune teller told Kate's character, quote, "Soon you will meet a handsome
man, a rich gentleman." The fortune teller went on to tell Kate's character that this
gentleman would fall in love with her and marry her and whisk her off to London.
It gets even weirder — the gentlemen turns out to be called William. Sounds like the
casting department at Kate's old school saw that she was the absolute perfect person to
take on the role of a young girl whose life changes forever when she meets her Prince
William, even when she was just 13.
When it comes to alcohol and the royal family, we all probably know that various tipples
are usually allowed. However, for Kate Middleton, red wine seems to be the beverage of choice.
In 2016 on her tour of Canada, the Duchess reportedly admitted that the drink was her
all-time favorite. According to Express, she and Prince William visited the Mission Hill
Winery during their tour. As the director of wine experience later recalled, the couple
had confessed to being avid Merlot drinkers, especially when traveling. As a source explained
to the publication, "Neither Kate nor William is a big beer drinker," even though they've
both tried beer on a few suitable public occasions.
According to another article in Express, Kate's love of red wine doesn't get in the way of
her overall healthy life. Apparently, she likes to start her day with a smoothie; she's
also said to enjoy cooking up healthy meals for her family. Judging by these reports,
we can hardly blame Kate for indulging in the occasional glass of red!
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