Kate Middleton has been a part of the British Royal Family for many years now. In fact, it’s hard to believe that she and Prince William married all the way back in 2011.
It’s hardly a secret that their relationship had its ups and downs prior to their union. In 2006, the couple broke up, and reports that followed revealed some not-so-nice things about William. Kate reportedly felt that he had cheapened her image, though Kate herself reportedly had her own detractors within the Royal Family.
One of them was Camilla Parker-Bowles, who was of the opinion that William – shortly before the aforementioned breakup – needed to decide whether he was going to marry Kate or not. Interestingly, it’s been said that she didn’t think highly of William’s girlfriend, and was of the opinion that Kate simply wasn’t ‘royal’ enough.
Being a member of the Royal Family must be a wonderful thing. Life itself seems pretty easy with all the money, nice houses, and fancy dinners. However – as we have seen in history, for example, with Princess Diana – it can also be very tough. Especially considering the British tabloid press, which can be really harsh once they find someone to stalk.
And for Kate Middleton, this was also the case, as she became a subject of intense media fascination all over the country. After all, she was dating a future king. But at the same time, of course, that’s no excuse for the media to dig deep into her private life.
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She was only 19 when she and William started dating, but that didn’t matter to the tabloids.
Coming from a middle-class background – her parents made millions through their company – Kate was labeled “a commoner.”
Before the couple announced their engagement in 2010, Kate was nicknamed “Waity Katie” and “Lazy Katie.” According to Buckingham Palace officials, it was a reference to the fact that Middleton had recently quit her job to “prepare for her future life.”
One can only imagine what it’s like to prepare for a life as a royal. So it’s no understatement to say that there probably exists no more extensive change in lifestyle – and publicity– in the world. But Kate Middleton managed, thanks to the help of “The Firm” and her then-fiancée, William.
According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, William made sure to – in private – help Kate prepare for life as a royal.
“It was very sensible in the circumstances for Kate and William to get to know each other over the length of time that they felt appropriate. But it can be hurtful seeing those headlines and obviously very stressful,” he said.
Even so, the paparazzi gave Kate cruel nicknames and dug deep in her family tree to try and find nasty things to write about her.
The most significant outrage of invading the Princess’ privacy came to light in 2013. The former royal editor of the scandalous tabloid News of the World, Clive Goodman, revealed that he had hacked Kate Middleton’s phone 155 times, beginning during the 2005 Christmas holidays.
Goodman hacked her voicemails on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and added that he had also hacked the phones of Prince William 35 times and Prince Harry nine times.
On April 29, 2011, William and Kate Middleton tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in London. But years earlier, in 2007, it seemed like the love story had ended – it was even reported that William and Kate had split for good.
William was stationed with the Household Cavalry in Dorset at the time, while Kate was living in London. As a result, they often spent time apart.
“We did split up for a bit,” William admitted in their engagement interview. “But that was just, we were both very young, it was at university, we were both finding ourselves and such, and being different characters and such.”
“I think I at the time wasn’t very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person,” Kate added.