Did royalty change Kate Middleton?
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Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, or more publicly known as Kate Middleton, was described as a ‘second-class art history graduate, charity roller-disco organiser and part-time accessories buyer’ among many other things before she was wed to Prince William.
Ten years after joining the royal family, it’s safe to say that much of Kate’s life is now of great interest to the British people and the monarchy.
And with her being under constant watch and scrutiny from the general public, we can’t help but think that perhaps everything the duchess is putting up for everyone to see is just a facade.
Who was Kate, really, before she walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey in 2011?
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Kate lets down her guard once in a while, especially when she is with her family.
According to Vassi Chamberlain, a contributing editor at British Vogue, Kate, despite being one of the most famous people in the world, also spends her holidays with her family at the beach, like any regular mum.
“Not long ago, I was on holiday in Europe when a tall, slim figure in a bikini brushed past me,” Vassi recalled.
“It was only when the figure bent down to speak to her husband and son, paddle-boarding and playing around in the water, that I realised with a shock that I was seeing the Duchess of Cambridge in an entirely private, off-guard moment.”
“I remember how she spoke to them in a soft voice, smiling tenderly and laughing,” said Vassi.
“Only when an inconspicuous man in shorts and a T-shirt approached my husband, who was lying close by, and asked him to put his phone away (he was reading an online article at the time but his phone looked like it was pointing in their direction), did I notice the discreet security detail around us.”
She said that it was a ‘remarkable revelation’ to see the duchess, who is usually dressed formally from head to toe, frolic around the beach in a two-piece swimsuit, without a care in the world.
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Kate has unwavering loyalty to her family and friends.
Chamberlain also shared the story of how Kate never forgot to do her daughterly duties to her father. She tells that one time, at a dinner party, Kate’s father Michael Middleton got up to leave because ‘Kate is coming to collect him’ as it’s her turn to do so, despite the supply of available drivers at her bidding.
Even among her friends, Kate is known as a very compassionate and kind person who is always willing to give any person her shoulder to lean on.
Chamberlain shared another story of Kate at a dinner party, and after learning that the family’s housekeeper was unwell, the duchess excused herself to help the said housekeeper.
“The hostess went looking for her. She found her in the kitchen, hands in the sink, scrubbing an oven dish,” said Vassi, touched at the royal’s selfless act of rolling her sleeves up to help a person in need.
Kate also was seen under a lot of pressure during the turbulence of the last few years, following Prince Harry and Meghan’s dramatic exit from the royal family.
According to a close friend, the duchess kept her firm resolute and became the anchor for her husband. “She has focused on personal support for William in what has been a really sad time in his life. She never predicted the degree of falling out between the two princes,” said the friend.
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Kate has a great sense of humour and does not dwell her attention on drama.
Even after being under attack after she allegedly made Meghan cry prior to her 2018 wedding, Kate never lost her composure.
A royal source said: “I’ve had hundreds of hours of conversations with Kate and it never came up. I only ever heard from Meghan about that — a very different story from what she said to Oprah.”
The royal source also shared that the most the duchess has done ‘against’ Meghan is by ‘jokingly’ rolling her eyes when Suits, the legal drama which Meghan previously starred in, came up.
Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the Cambridge family’s former private secretary, said: “She has that almost old-fashioned, Queen Mother attitude to drama — she just doesn’t do it.”
Rebecca Priestly, another private secretary for the Cambridge couple, also shared a story about the duchess’ easy-going personality, saying: “On a trip back from an engagement, she will giggle if something went wrong and sees the funny side of things and will often take the mick out of herself and William. People mainly see her professional side, but it doesn’t mean the fun’s not there.”
Credit: Getty Images.
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