It’s safe to say that the public is pretty much obsessed with Kate Middleton — and it’s not hard to understand why. She’s gorgeous, her style is always on point, she’s perfectly poised. She’s truly regal. But so is everyone else in the royal family. What is it about Kate that draws us in?
It might be the fact that before she became a royal, she was kind of just a normal person. I mean, sure, she was always gorgeous, but 10 years ago, she looked a little bit more like the rest of us while she navigated life in her 20s during the ’00s. And because she was more like us, she’s totally relatable — and even gives us hope that, someday, we could magically transform into a part of Britain’s elite.
OK, that’s a little far-fetched. But we’re still obsessed with Kate. Check out these pictures and little-known facts that prove Kate Middleton is just like us. Or she used to be, anyway.
Originally published July 2016. Updated July 2017.
She’s always had the heart of a Princess
You may know Kate Middleton as the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince William, and mother to Prince George and Princess Charlotte. But, long before she married into the royal family, Kate worked hard, explored different hobbies, and participated in a number of different charity events. In fact, her charity efforts included working for the children’s charity, Starlight, and reaching out to children through art during the holiday season. And, well, that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all she has done prior to becoming one of the heirs to the throne.
She was a tomboy growing up
Sports have always been a place where the Duchess has felt the most comfortable. In college, Kate played on the women’s field hockey team and participated in cross country track. However, over the years she’s also dabbled in everything from crew to tennis to swimming. It’s no wonder why William fell for her.
She took the stage by storm
However, her love of sports hasn’t taken away from her artistic side. When Kate was just 11 years old, she played none other than Eliza Doolittle in a production of My Fair Lady at St. Andrew’s Prep School in Pangbourne. Proving that she not only had what it takes to be a proper woman in the royal family, but that she can act as well. And we’d love to see her take the stage again.
She honed her photography skills
But, as the years passed, Kate seemed to be more comfortable behind the camera than in the spotlight. She dabbled in photography both with her friends in college and for her parents’ business, Party Pieces. And all these years later, Kate is still honing her craft by taking official pictures of her two royal children. In fact, her recent photographs were praised by renowned royal photographer, Hugo Rittson Thomas. “I was quite taken aback by her knowledge of photography. She asked a lot of technical questions about what I was doing and the setup — she almost caught me out a few times actually!” he shared with People magazine. “If circumstances had been different, she could definitely have had a career in photography — she has a lot of talent.”
She sang in a church choir
And Kate’s love for the arts doesn’t stop there. In 2011, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed to violinist Nicola Benedetti at an event at St. James Palace that she “once sang in a choir in a church.” According to Mirror UK, the comment followed Middleton asking Benedetti if she was nervous. So perhaps the Duchess is too shy to ever sing in front of a crowd again. But knowing she even did it once is courageous enough. Do you think William’s ever heard her sing?
She tried her hand at modeling
If not, then at least she was able to get Prince William’s attention in other ways. We all know that Kate can rock her street style, but it seems like her stylish strut began back when she walked the catwalk in college! In March 2002, Kate took part in her college’s fashion show charity event titled The Art of Seduction. The fashion show helped show off her gorgeous figure and also just so happens to be one of the college events that helped her catch the eye of Prince William.
She enjoyed college to the fullest
But catching Prince William’s eye wasn’t all Kate was doing in college. After studying at Marlborough College, the future Duchess attended Scotland’s University of St. Andrews in 2001 to study the History of Art. There, she socialized and honed in on her skills — including the sciences and web design. In fact, it’s even said that Kate co-founded her very own female drinking society.
She worked for her parents
And yep, that college education sure came in handy. Following her graduation from the University of St. Andrews in 2005, Middleton worked as an accessories buyer for the company Jigsaw — where she’s said to have helped design a necklace in 2006. Shortly after that and before her marriage to Prince William in 2011, Kate joined her parent’s company, Party Pieces, to help them with event planning, marketing and web design. She really can do it all.
She had a silly nickname
But working so hard doesn’t mean that Kate never has time for fun. In fact, those closest to the Duchess may also know her by the very informal nickname of “Squeak.” When visiting her old prep school in 2012, Kate revealed her hilarious childhood nickname to two of the students while discussing the names of the two guinea pigs her and her sister Pippa had growing up. “There was one called Pip and one called Squeak because my sister was called Pippa and I was Squeak,” Kate was quoted as saying in Mirror UK.
She comes from her own “royal” lineage
Despite marrying into the British royal family, Kate didn’t need to marry a Prince to be considered government “royalty.” In fact, according to New England’s Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, she’s related to the first U.S. President George Washington. As, when tracking her family lineage back, she’s an “eighth cousin eight times removed.” And it doesn’t end there: She’s also reportedly the ninth cousin seven times removed of Meriwether Lewis and thirteenth cousin three times removed of George S. Patton — a U.S. World War II General. We wonder what the Queen thinks of the fact that an American lineage could take back the British throne? But it sure explains all of Kate’s amazing talents and abilities.
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