HELLO! presents 35 interesting facts about first-generation duchess and possible future British queen Kate Middleton, many of which are unknown to the general public.
Kate was born into the family of an air traffic controller and British Airways stewardess, Michael and Carole Middleton, in the small town of Reading. She has younger sister Philippa (Pippa) and brother James.
Little Kate was called Squeak. Speaking to British schoolchildren, the Duchess recalled that as a child she had two guinea pigs: one was named Pipp, in honor of her sister Pippa, and the other was Squeak, because that was her pet nickname.
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The future duchess studied at two schools, including one of the most expensive private colleges in the country, Marlborough College. Classmates recalled that she was “ordinary, hardworking, athletic and sociable.” At the same time, she is also remembered as a very cheerful girl who, together with her sister, lit up parties. Now Kate is practically deprived of the opportunity to communicate with friends. She does not belong to herself, has no right to be tired or in a bad mood. She is always friendly, always smiling, personifying the beautiful face of the British monarchy.
When the future duchess was 11 years old, she played Eliza Doolittle in the amateur play Pygmalion. A fragment of her speech has been preserved and can be found on the Internet. The press wrote that Kate, a commoner who ended up in the palace, repeated the fate of the heroine of the play.
In April 2011, Kate married Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, Prince William, and received the titles HRH Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn (a Scottish title) and Lady Carrickfergus (a Northern Ireland title).
Despite the fact that Catherine is the wife of a prince, she cannot be called “Princess Catherine” because she is not of royal blood. Only if William is “promoted” to Prince of Wales (the title of heir to the throne currently held by his father Charles), Catherine will be able to become - after her husband - Princess of Wales.
If the Queen passes the throne to William rather than her heir apparent, Prince Charles, Kate will be known as "Her Majesty Queen Consort Catherine VI."
The root of Kate's surname is middle - a reminder that the Duchess's ancestors are representatives of the middle class. And her parents have already become upper-middle, “above average”, having become rich in online trading, which they were one of the first to join.
By maternal line The Duchess's origins are quite proletarian. Her family included miners, builders, butchers, plasterers, bakers and servants. But the duchess’s father has a “richer” pedigree. Biographers, having set a goal, managed to find even viscounts and baronets among Michael’s distant ancestors. Moreover, through “fifths or tenths” of the tribe, the Middletons and Windsors had a common relative - King Edward III (1312-1377).
Kate's treatment at court is the subject of endless discussion. It is known that before the wedding, young aristocrats laughed behind her back: “Remove the flaps!” - hinting that the prince's bride is the daughter of ordinary workers civil aviation.
Kate has compromising relatives with whom the Duchess does not communicate: her uncle Gary Goldsmith, who served a prison sentence for drug possession, and her second cousin, a stripper who performs under the name Katrina Darling.
In April 2016, British royal biographer Christopher Andersen published a book in which he claimed that Kate has an enemy at court in the person of the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla (formerly Parker-Bowles). Allegedly, Camilla, using the influence of her husband, Prince Charles, tried to drive a wedge between William and Kate and prevent their engagement.
Kate had to wait nine years for a marriage proposal. They met William in 2001 at the University of St. Andrews and began dating in 2003. The press nicknamed Kate Waity Katie.
It is believed that Katherine owes her successful marriage to her mother. Allegedly, it was Carole Middleton who insisted on choosing the University of St. Andrews, where her daughter could meet the heir. And in 2007, when William left Kate, Carol advised her not to give up and go to parties in order to make the prince jealous. Three months later, the lovers were reunited.
William and Kate's wedding in 2011 was not the most expensive ceremony of all time. Its cost was estimated at $34 million, while the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana cost $110 million by modern standards.
Having married William at the age of 29, the Duchess became the oldest royal bride in British history.
Wedding dress Katherine from Alexander McQueen kept in Buckingham Palace. Only once, in the summer of 2011, it was demonstrated to the public at an exhibition dedicated to a wedding.
Kate did not throw the bride's bouquet of lilies of the valley into the crowd of unmarried friends, but, according to tradition, at the end of the celebrations, she laid it on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey.
When William is not around, the commoner Kate is obliged to curtsy to all the princes and princesses of the blood. However, in practice this rule is not observed and the Duchess does not have to bow to anyone except the Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
According to insiders, Catherine calls William “Big Willie”, and he calls her “baby”
Kate is considered a good housewife. She admitted that she loves to cook for her husband and children. She has been seen carrying bags in Tesco and Waitrose supermarkets more than once.
Catherine's responsibilities in her "post" as Duchess include not only accompanying her husband and raising his heirs, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The Duchess is an official ambassador for the British Olympic and Paralympic teams, a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, and seven charities.
With Princess Charlotte, autumn 2016
At the end of 2015, Elizabeth II's husband, Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, appointed Catherine Honorary Commander of the British Royal Air Force Cadet Corps, a post he himself held for more than 60 years.
In March 2012, Kate gave her first speech in public. It happened in Ipswich, in the east of England, at the opening ceremony of a new hospice building for children.
In 2016, British women chose the Duchess of Cambridge as the most influential style icon. Singer Rita Ora took second place, and actress Emma Watson took third place.
Kate's gray hair was noticed when she was expecting her first child, Prince George. The Duchess's "sloppiness" drew disapproval from critics. It turned out that Kate refused to dye it on purpose, since, according to some experts, it could provoke cancer in the unborn child. By the way, during her second pregnancy, Kate began to turn gray again.
Kate's smile is called perfect. However, it turns out that her perfect teeth are not a gift from nature, but are largely the merit of the French dentist Didier Fillon, the creator of the “harmonious asymmetry” technique. Didier deliberately makes his teeth slightly imperfect so that they do not look “Hollywood” - smooth and uniform, like white piano keys.
Kate's neat nose has inspired many women in the UK and US to change the shape of their own organ of smell. After the wedding of William and Kate in 2011, there was a real boom in operations in the United States, which began to be called “royal rhinoplasty.”
Kate wears it even in hot weather nylon tights. It is believed that Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a fan of John Lewis “invisible” tights, which are almost invisible to the eye, but reliably mask skin imperfections, became an example for her.
The economic situation in the world is such that even Buckingham Palace is trying to look more modest. Kate often wears clothes and jewelry from affordable brands. She appeared in both £56 and £45 dresses." Golden Rule“Not wearing an outfit more than once is also not observed by her.
In her youth, Kate participated in tennis, swimming, athletics, netball (a type of basketball) and hockey.
Her main sporting achievement during her years at St. Andrews School is the pole vault to a height of 1.5 meters.
Kate has three scars on her head. There are suggestions that these are “combat wounds” she received while playing sports.
In 2012, Prince William and Catherine sued a photographer from France who managed to capture the Duchess topless during their vacation in the south of France, as well as three magazines in France, Ireland and Italy that published these photographs.
According to royal photographers, the secret of Catherine's good photographs is that she never looks at the camera. She practically never has half-closed eyes or a tired or dissatisfied expression on her face in photos.
Catherine Elizabeth, Duchess of Cambridge |
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| from April 29, 2011 | |||
| Birth: | January 9 ( 1982-01-09
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(30 years) Reading, England |
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| Father: | Michael Francis Middleton | ||
| Mother: | Carol Elizabeth, born Goldsmith | ||
| Spouse: | Prince William, Duke of Cambridge | ||
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Catherine Elizabeth Mountbatten-Windsor, Duchess of Cambridge(nee Catherine Middleton) Catherine Elizabeth, Duchess of Cambridge, nee Catherine Elizabeth Middleton ; genus. January 9, 1982, Reading, UK) - wife of William, Duke of Cambridge.
Biography
Born on January 9, 1982 in the city of Reading in the English county of Berkshire in the family of Michael Francis Middleton (eng. Michael Francis Middleton; genus. 23 June 1949) and his wife Carol Elizabeth, née Goldsmith. Carole Elizabeth Middleton nee Goldsmith ; genus. January 31, 1955).
Family
Kate's parents married on June 21, 1980 at the parish church in Dorney, Buckinghamshire. They met while working in civil aviation: Carol was a flight attendant, Michael an air traffic controller (he later became a British Airways pilot).
Kate's mother, née Goldsmith, was born on January 31, 1955. Her ancestors - the Harrison family - are representatives of the working class. They were miners in County Durham.
Kate's father was born on June 23, 1949. His family originates from Leeds, West Yorkshire. Kate's paternal grandmother, Olivia, belonged to the Lupton family, whose members were famous for their commercial activities and work in city services. On her grandmother's side, Kate is related to Thomas Davies, the famous Church of England hymn writer.
The Middleton family has three children: Kate, Philippa Charlotte (Pippa) and James William. Kate is the oldest of them.
During her studies, she continued to play sports, in particular, she played hockey for the university team, and participated in charity events. In 2002, for example, she walked at a charity show at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in a transparent dress, which was recently sold at a London auction for $104,000 (£65,000).
Kate graduated from the university without failing grades, receiving a second-class honors degree in art history in 2005. After that, she began working for Party Pieces, which was founded by her parents in 1987. The Middleton company delivers goods by mail for various holidays. In 2008, as part of her work at the company, Kate launched the First Birthdays project. In the family business, Kate worked on catalog design, product photography and marketing campaigns.
Along with this, in November 2006, she began working part-time in the purchasing department of the Jigsaw chain of stores in London. A year later, the press wrote that Kate intended to leave her job at Jigsaw and begin a career as a professional photographer. A few months later, it was even announced that she was planning to take private lessons from Mario Testino, the photographer who took several famous photographs of Princess Diana and her sons. However, the photographer himself denied this information. The media noted that Prince William introduced Kate to Testino.
Having received the unofficial status of the prince's girlfriend, Middleton began to often appear at events involving the royal family. So, on December 15, 2006, she and her parents were invited to the graduation ceremony of the Royal Military Academy, from which Prince William graduated. Queen Elizabeth II attended the ceremony.
Friendship with Prince William
Since 2002, Kate and William, already friends, rented a house in Fife, and since 2003, a country cottage. The beginning of their romantic relationship also dates back to this time. During their student holidays, Prince William and Kate traveled together several times, and in 2003, the girl was among a small number of close friends invited to the prince's twenty-first birthday.
In 2005, Kate graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a bachelor's degree and increasingly appeared in public with the prince. Then rumors appeared about their imminent engagement. But William began his studies at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and Kate was invited to work in the purchasing department of the Jigsaw clothing chain. From that time on, she lived in the London area of Chelsea.
Kate Middleton ordered two for her wedding wedding dresses(one for the wedding ceremony, the second for the wedding dinner). The first, which became the main intrigue of the celebration, amazed all fashion experts. The bride chose a dress from the British brand Alexander McQueen. The second dress was created by a famous British fashion designer and stylist.
The Duchess of Cambridge Catherine is called a style icon; all fashion critics endlessly praise her outfits. What does our resident expert, fashion historian, think about the prince’s wife’s wardrobe? Alexander Vasiliev ?
“In my opinion, Great Britain is one of the smartest countries in the world,” notes Maestro Vasiliev. - The fact that for so many centuries the British have maintained the monarchy speaks not only of the stable worldview of the nation, but also of the fact that they are faithful to the traditions of the ruling royal house. And they try to present each of its new members in the most favorable light. If Catherine Middleton had not become the wife of Prince William, no one would have ever thought of calling this young woman, pleasant in all respects, a style icon. Interest in her and widespread admiration are connected only with her relationship with the Queen of England. Remember how Diana, Princess of Wales was once elevated to the rank of style icon. From a very modest girl from an aristocratic but little-known family they turned into one of the most popular women of the twentieth century. I'm sure they do the same with Katherine. Who benefits from this? Royal family. Kate for the Windsors is one of the ways to make money people's love. Let's remember another Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. She was the wife younger brother Prince Charles, but separated from him in 1996, and is now forgotten about. Although in the early 90s, newspapers did nothing but discuss the wardrobes of Diana and Sarah: they compared which of them had more expensive jewelry, a more elegant hat.
The Duchess of Cambridge is also often compared to Princess Diana. But Lady Di was friends with many designers, in particular Gianni Versace, and his clothes were part of her wardrobe. Diana wore outfits from French fashion houses. Kate, like Queen Elizabeth II, prefers British designers and brands. Do you know why? In England, there has long been such a tradition - the queen must appear before her subjects in clothes from domestic manufacturers. But I know this fact: the ancestor of the Windsors, Queen Victoria, who reigned on the throne for more than 60 years, was secretly delivered outfits by the famous Parisian fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth, who, although of English origin, lived and worked in France. Branded labels were cut off on these dresses and English ones were sewn on. With Her Majesty's knowledge. Worth himself writes about this in his memoirs: often in photographs he was happy to find Queen Victoria in her outfits. So, perhaps, among the things that Elizabeth II or Kate wear, there are foreign ones, but this fact will be carefully hidden.
Kate has just started on the path " civil service", but she has every chance to succeed. On the one hand, she chooses very democratic outfits and pleases her subjects; on the other hand, the prince’s wife already looks older than her age, because she dresses in such a way as to please, first of all, the queen, members of her family, and English aristocrats. Evidence of this is her appeal to traditional hats, gloves, styles of the 60s, and coats beloved by Elizabeth II. All this speaks of an eye on the British throne. And the fact that Prince William got a woman with a great mind as his wife, the Duchess is no mistake!”
Photo: Getty Images/Fotobank.ru
SAVOUS DETAIL
“Kate has very pleasant features. And there is a piquant detail - these cute dimples on the cheeks. They are very popular with the subjects of the kingdom.
What I especially like about Kate is this: with all her appearance she shows that she agreed to play by the rules of the instructions that the directors of royal etiquette probably gave her.
They explained what role the wife of the heir to the throne should play at court and how she should look in order to be loved by the public. Kate coped with everything - that’s why people adore her!”
RADICAL LENGTH FOR THE DUCHESS
“Kate often looks like a '60s fashion heroine. But the retro style suits her very well. Two typical coats from the 60s - the time of Queen Elizabeth II's youth. Popular colors then were yellow and jade, three-quarter sleeves. One of the models has a semicircular collar and decorative stitching on the patch pockets. The length, however, is somewhat radical for a person of the royal court - much above the knee, but Kate is not yet reigning on the throne. So she can afford it.”
Photo: Getty Images/Fotobank
DATING OVER A MUG OF BEER
“Amazing flared dress - the best option for the first date. A godsend for young career women who work in the City and go to the pub on Fridays, where they meet gentlemen over a glass of beer.”
Photo: Splash News/All Over Press
Photo: Getty Images/Fotobank
NO HOLIGANITY
“The baby’s christening shirt matches the dress. Kate's outfit from Alexander McQueen fashion house designer Sarah Burton is very traditional. From the founder of the brand, the hooligan McQueen, whose trademark was things with skulls, all that remains is the name.”
Photo: Splash News/All Over Press
Photo: Splash News/All Over Press
LACE AND SEA WAVE
“Most of Kate’s clothes are from British manufacturers. The author of this dress is Jenny Packham, her name is unknown in Russia. But look what a wonderful evening dress she created from sea green chiffon. This is a typical model from the second half of the 1930s - a little lace on the shoulders, a lace insert on the back. Clutch to match the dress. A delightful hairstyle choice is the traditional bun. This look will always impress others. She and William look amazing together!”
Kate Middleton during a visit to the Solomon Islands. year 2012
Photo: Splash News/All Over Press
NOT YET KENNEDY
“Kate loves turquoise shades and often uses them in her outfits. They suit her. Katherine is sometimes compared to Jacqueline Kennedy. Only the wife of the US President had more experience in selecting dresses. Jacqueline dressed in Paris and had a personal designer, Oleg Cassini. Kate, as I understand it, doesn’t have this yet.”
The style of the Duchess of Cambridge has long been enthusiastically discussed by fashion observers and stylists. Her Ladyship is praised and given hints, and from time to time they are unobtrusively criticized. Russian fashion expert Alexander Vasiliev watched the future queen for quite a long time and carefully. And finally I came to the conclusion that Duchess Kate still has a long way to go.
Today, the wife of Prince William is considered one of the modern style icons. Every outfit of the Duchess is detailed, Kate knows this very well and But Alexander Vasiliev believes that the girl is still a long way from becoming a style icon.
“If Catherine Middleton had not become the wife of Prince William, no one would have ever thought of calling this young woman, pleasant in all respects, a style icon,” the fashion guru noted in an interview with 7 Days. “The interest in her and widespread admiration are connected only with her relationship with the Queen of England. Remember how Diana, Princess of Wales was once elevated to the rank of style icon. From a very modest girl from an aristocratic but little-known family they turned into one of the most popular women of the twentieth century. I'm sure they do the same with Katherine. Who benefits from this? Royal family. Kate is one of the ways for the Windsors to earn people’s love.”
“The Duchess of Cambridge is often compared to Princess Diana,” he continues to argue Alexander Alexandrovich.—But Lady Di was friends with many designers, in particular Gianni Versace, and his clothes were part of her wardrobe. Diana wore outfits from French fashion houses. Kate, like Queen Elizabeth II, prefers British designers and brands. Do you know why? In England, there has long been such a tradition: the queen must appear before her subjects in clothes from domestic manufacturers. But I know this fact: the ancestor of the Windsors, Queen Victoria, who reigned on the throne for more than 60 years, was secretly delivered outfits by the famous Parisian fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth, who, although of English origin, lived and worked in France. Branded labels were cut off on these dresses and English ones were sewn on. With Her Majesty's knowledge."
However, Vasiliev admits that Her Ladyship has taste. But most importantly, Kate, in principle, adequately assesses the situation and acts in the right direction.
“Kate has just entered the path of “public service”, but she has every chance to succeed. On the one hand, she chooses very democratic outfits and pleases her subjects; on the other hand, the prince’s wife already looks older than her age, because she dresses in such a way as to please, first of all, the queen, members of her family, and English aristocrats. Evidence of this is her appeal to traditional hats, gloves, styles of the 60s, and the coats beloved by Elizabeth II. All this speaks of an eye on the British throne. And the fact that Prince William got a woman with a great mind as his wife, the Duchess is not a mistake!”
