Kate Middleton is now world-famous as the Duchess of Cambridge and as the wife of the future king of England, but she led an entirely different life before she was royal. As one of the preeminent members of the more modern branch of the royal family, it’s no surprise that Middleton led a fairly normal life before marrying Prince William, though their long on-again, off-again relationship meant that paparazzi were included in that “normal” life.
As the wife of one future king and the mother of another, Kate Middleton is just as much a part of the fabric of the royal family as her husband Prince William, or their son Prince George. Before they married in 2011, however, there was a time when it seemed like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge might not get their happily ever after. William and Middleton met while they both attended university at St Andrew’s in Scotland around 2001.
Kate Middleton Today
Middleton’s Life Pre-Royalty
Due to U.K. laws that guarantee a young royal’s privacy while attending school, the two were able to keep their romance quiet. Upon their 2005 graduation, the lid was lifted and the media and public interest in the two’s relationship began to swell.
Both the palace and Middleton’s own lawyers had to send multiple warnings to the press, with Middleton often having to face photographers camping outside her home to catch her leaving for work each morning.
A Brief Break Up
In April 2007, William and Middleton ended their relationship, though they naturally kept the reason why private. A few months after their split, in July, Middleton and other members of her family attended the Concert for Diana event. She and her family sat only two rows behind William.
Soon after, reports seemingly confirmed that the two had rekindled their romance, with the BBC reporting in October of the same year that William and Middleton had been “aggressively” pursued by paparazzi in a car chase that was eerily reminiscent of the events surrounding Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997.
Despite the legal threats from the palace, the media interest in Middleton never waned. In the years following her college graduation, Middleton held down a number of jobs, including one job as a part-time assistant accessories buyer for Jigsaw, a fashion chain. The brand’s founder, Belle Robinson, said of the future duchess, “I have to say I was so impressed by her. There were days when there were TV crews at the end of the drive. We’d say: ‘Listen, do you want to go out the back way?’”
Middleton’s Response To Paparazzi?
Middleton, Robinson recalled, simply replied, “‘To be honest, they’re going to hound us until they’ve got the picture. So why don’t I just go, get the picture done, and then they’ll leave us alone.’” Robinson added, “I thought she was very mature for a 26-year-old, and I think she’s been quite good at neither courting the press nor sticking two fingers in the air at them. I don’t think I would have been so polite.”
By 2010, both William and Middleton were certain that they’d found their true love, and announced their engagement in November. They were married the following year in an internationally televised ceremony and the rest is history. Thankfully the two worked through their issues while dating so they could face the future together.