Just when we thought we knew everything about the Princess of Wales, we discovered a few surprising details about the 41-year-old royal. For instance, did you know that she set a high jump record in primary school? Or that she played a friendly tennis match against the Roger Federer?
As it turns out, there's more to the future queen consort than meets the eye. To brush up on our knowledge, we compiled a list of Kate Middleton facts you probably didn't know.
Meghan Markle isn't the only royal with a background in acting. In 1994, when Princess Catherine attended St. Andrews School in Berkshire, she played the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. In fact, there's footage of the princess, then 11 years old, singing the words to “Wouldn't It Be Loverly.”
Unbeknownst to many, the royal was born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton. This means her middle name is the same as Queen Elizabeth's.
In December 2006—a year after she graduated from the University of St. Andrews—the Daily Mail reported that the princess landed a job as an accessories buyer for the fashion brand, Jigsaw.
A spokesperson for Jigsaw told the outlet, "We can confirm that Kate joined our staff two or three weeks ago as an accessory buyer for Jigsaw and Jigsaw Junior."
Before she became a royal, the princess used to work for Party Pieces, a party supply business that her mother, Carole Middleton, started in the '80s. In an interview with The Telegraph in December 2018, the proud mom explained that Princess Catherine and her sister, Pippa, were involved in the company's growth. She said, "They did a lot of modeling. Catherine was on the cover of one of the catalogs, blowing out candles. Later on, she did some styling and set up the First Birthday side of the business. Pippa did the blog. I still value their ideas and opinions."
Carole has since sold the business to entrepreneur James Sinclair, who owns Teddy Tastic Bear Co Ltd. How much she sold it for, however, hasn't been disclosed.
According to The Guardian, the royal co-founded a drinking society while attending St. Andrews. According to one source who knew her, she wasn't much of a drinker herself, but she felt inspired to create the club because she was "annoyed that the old ones excluded women."
FYI, drinking societies are exclusive social clubs where members typically dine together and, of course, enjoy drinks.
The princess attended Marlborough College before going to St. Andrews University, where she met Prince William. Little did we know, however, that Princess Eugenie also attended Marlborough.
Princess Catherine's sister, Pippa Middleton, and her brother, James Middleton, went to the same boarding school as well.
We kid you not, the Princess of Wales took charge when it came to her makeup. However, she did enlist the help of London makeup artist Arabella Preston, who offered a few weeks’ worth of makeup lessons leading up to the day.
Mere days before the ceremony, wedding planner Mark Niemierko told People, “She’s had about three or four lessons with Kate at her private flat in Chelsea and has also gone, very privately to Clarence House. Arabella was supposed to be coming on the day as well but now she isn’t, because Kate’s comfortable and confident in doing it herself.”
The Princess of Wales, who's pictured in the center of the front row, was a proud member of the field hockey team at St. Andrew's School. According to Daily Mail, she revisited the school in 2012 and revealed that she spent some of her "happiest years" there. Plus, she went back on the field to showcase her hockey skills. In heels.
During her visit to St. Andrew's, the princess revealed that she used to be called "Squeak," a nickname that was inspired by the school's pet guinea pigs.
Per Daily Mail, Princess Catherine told a few of the current students, "There was one called Pip and one called Squeak, so my sister was called Pip and I was Squeak."
Get this: Princess Catherine loves the reality dancing competition show, Strictly Come Dancing, which was also a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth. Similar to Dancing with the Stars, celebrities are paired with professional dancers and viewers get to vote on their favorites each week.
In a 2019 report from Express Prince William confirmed that his wife is a big fan of Strictly. “I have watched the show a couple of times,” he said. “Catherine is a huge fan and my mother-in-law loves it.”
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, the Princess of Wales revealed that she's a big fan of curry, adding that it's one of her go-to dishes for Prince William. When asked if her curries are typically spicy or mild, William said, "I can't do too much spice, I start sweating. It's not attractive." Meanwhile, the princess said, "I like the spice so I have to sort of cook the curry and then add the spice, extra spice at the end."
The princess went up against the tennis legend to promote the Wimbledon Championships and proved that she had some impressive skills on the court. Like a pro, she returned all of Federer’s shots and even gained a point by belting the ball down the line. One fan said, "She’s actually pretty good`."
The former duchess graduated from St. Andrews University with a degree in Art History in 2005. As a result, she made history as the first royal bride to have a college degree when she married Prince William in 2011.
Prince Harry made headlines after gifting his sister-in-law a furry thong on her wedding day. Of course, his sister-in-law returned the favor with a cheeky Christmas gift of her own.
According to the Mirror, the royal gave him a “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” kit because he was still single at the time. And yes, it was a major success that got plenty of laughs.
In 2002, the future princess participated in a charity fashion show at St. Andrews University, where she walked down the runway in a see-through dress. The revealing outfit, which was sold for approximately $95,000, reportedly caught Prince William's eye at the time.
Designer Charlotte Todd, who made the dress, told People, "I'm thrilled. Everyone says that the fashion show was when the romance started, so a small part of me will always be part of royal history. It's madness!"
According to Prince William, his wife's cheeky sense of humor was one of the things he found most attractive about her.
He said in their engagement interview, "She’s got a really naughty sense of humour which kind of helps me because I’ve got a very dirty sense of humour. So it was good fun, we had a really good laugh. And then things happened.”
Each year, the proud mom goes above and beyond her three children—Prince George (10), Princess Charlotte (8) and Prince Louis (5)—when it comes to their birthday celebrations. Her tradition? Baking and decorating their birthday cakes.
On the TV special A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019, Princess Catherine said, "I love making the cake. It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up 'til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing, and I make far too much. But I love it."
On A Berry Royal Christmas, the princess opened up about her waitressing days after Mary Berry asked her to serve drinks to guests. “Reminds me of my university days when I did a bit of waitressing,” she said.
When Berry asked if she was any good, Middleton replied, “No, I was terrible!”
From her field hockey days to her tennis skills, Princess Catherine has proven to be one of the sportiest royals. As it turns out, her sporty streak started from a very young age.
While attending St. Andrew's School from 1986 to 1995, she set a high jump record of 1.5 meters—a record that still hasn't been broken.
The Princess's love of nature is no secret, but perhaps her most memorable project was the garden she designed for the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.
The royal collaborated with landscape architects on the Royal Horticultural Society Back to Nature Garden, which features a variety of plants, trees and shrubs. Even Middleton's kids were involved in creating the garden.
On Instagram, the princess wrote, "I really hope that this woodland that we have created, in a huge collaboration here really inspires families, kids and communities to get outside, enjoy nature and the outdoors and spend quality time together."
