Kate Middleton and Prince William: a look at the highlights of 2020
Kate will spend her birthday with her family at Anmer Hall in Norfolk after they abandoned plans to return to Kensington Palace after the holidays. Another national blockade means that she and William will once again teach their three children at home, Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two. In the meantime, the couple will likely be making video calls again soon to make up for the lack of personal commitments.
Kate is now one of the oldest royalty, taking on many responsibilities, especially after the departure of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry last year.
However, at one point, the Queen had “serious concerns” about Kate as a partner for William, because she did not have a job.
At the time, she met Kate several times on formal occasions, but she knew “little of the girl who had charmed her grandson”.
Royal biographer Katie Nicholl wrote in her book ‘The Making of a Royal Romance’ how the Queen thought it was “unacceptable” that a future member of the Royal Family would not have a job.
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Kate Middleton was “stung” by the Queen’s criticisms (Image: GETTY)
Kate and William in 2007 (Image: GETTY)
Being a full-time member of royalty is hard work, with long days engaging in engagements, along with all the other responsibilities, and she wanted to make sure Kate was prepared for it.
Furthermore, she also felt that Kate needed a job for her own sense of identity, in addition to being Prince William’s girlfriend or wife.
For this reason, she considered it essential for Kate to work a little before William proposed to her.
Furthermore, she felt that the couple’s many luxurious vacations during a recession were not the best image to display.
William, Kate and their children George, Charlotte and Louis at Christmas 2020 (Image: Matt Porteous / The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge / Kensington Palace via Getty Images)
Kate was reportedly “stung” by criticism.
She soon started working, first at the fashion house Jigsaw and then at her parents’ Party Pieces business.
The Duchess of Cambridge also started volunteering with the charity Starlight, an organization for terminally ill children.
Mrs. Nicholl wrote: “[Privately [the Queen] he had serious concerns and believed that Kate needed to have a job and her own identity before the engagement was announced. “
She continued: “If she was not with William in Balmoral, the couple was skiing or on vacation in Mustique.
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Chronology of William and Kate’s novel (Image: GETTY)
“Kate was there so often that the press dubbed her ‘Queen of Mustique’, a title that once belonged to Princess Margaret.
“Britain was now in recession and such frivolous displays of wealth were unpalatable to the queen.
“She was one of the hardest working royalty, despite her age, and the fact that a future family member was out of a full-time job was unacceptable to her.
“While the rest of the world speculated that an engagement was on the horizon for William and Kate, the Queen believed that an announcement should be postponed until Kate had an established career.”
A source said to Mrs Nicholl: “It is Her Majesty’s opinion that if Kate is ever going to be William’s consort then she needs a suitable job.
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“Swanning from one five-star vacation resort to another is not a prerequisite for a young woman possibly destined to be queen.”
Mrs. Nicholl added: “[Kate] was stung by the Queen’s criticisms. “
Prince William finally proposed to Kate in 2010, after almost a decade of dating, in which Kate could really get used to the idea of being queen one day and what it would mean.
After their beautiful wedding in 2011, the couple enjoyed some years of relative silence while William was stationed in Anglesey.
Then, both became members of royalty full-time and increased their duties.
It is important to note that Kate has developed her own niche in terms of her charity production, with a focus on children and early childhood education.
This allowed her to seek out areas for which she is most passionate and to conduct her own individual projects separate from the rest of the royal family.
She also worked with her husband and brother-in-law Harry on the issue of mental health with the Heads Together initiative.
Meanwhile, she gave birth and raised three children, who are currently the third, fourth and fifth in line to the throne.
Katie Nicholl’s book ‘The Making of a Royal Romance’ was published by Tantor Media in 2011. It is available here.