She is among the ladies in the world most frequently photographed. But since her fairytale wedding to Prince William in 2011, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, hasn’t received as much attention.
When palace authorities revealed that 42-year-old Kate had undergone an undisclosed type of stomach surgery and would be absent for weeks, it led to a great deal of conjecture and rumors over her well-being. Even worse, though, was Kate’s admission that she had changed an official family photo, which is meant to reassure the public that she is doing well.
It’s a rare slip-up for the princess, who has scarcely stumbled in her transformation from William’s reserved “commoner” fiancée to the glitzy young mother who has done more than any other royal since Princess Diana to increase the allure and popularity of the British monarchy across the globe.
Although Kate has received a great deal of favorable press coverage in recent years, things haven’t always gone well between her and the media.
A “commoner” turned princess
Raised in a posh area in Berkshire, west of London, the princess is the eldest of three kids. The Middletons are not of noble descent, and Kate was frequently called a “commoner” marrying into the royal family by the British media.
Kate met William in 2001 while attending the University of St Andrews in Scotland, after first attending the prestigious girls’ school Marlborough College. They were initially housemates and friends, but when they were seen together in 2004 while on a skiing vacation in Switzerland, their relationship gained attention.
2005 saw Kate graduate with a degree in art history and a developing romance with the prince.
Tense connection with the media
The couple’s relationship was closely watched by the public from the beginning.
Newspaper editors were instructed to leave Kate alone in 2005 by her lawyers, who claimed that photographers were prying into her personal life. That didn’t stop the press from covering her romance with William, or the nasty headlines that referred to her as “Waity Katie” after their 2007 breakup.
Following intense media attention to Kate and William’s wedding in April 2011, the couple withdrew to a rather low-key existence in rural Wales for a period of two years, during which William finished his military duty.
However, the royal family’s ongoing battle with the media resurfaced in 2012 when William and Kate filed a lawsuit against a French magazine for publishing images of Kate without a top that were taken during their vacation at a private home in southern France.
After Prince Harry wed Meghan Markle in 2018, the media’s scrutiny of Kate decreased significantly, and the tabloids shifted their focus to the American actress who is biracial. The publications frequently portrayed Meghan as the brash newbie to the royal family, in contrast to obedient, reserved Kate, who is now a mother to the heir apparent and a front page darling thanks to her chic looks and charming smile.
Though Kate was never one to share her opinions in public, her confidence as a speaker and supporter of early childhood education has developed in recent years. She demonstrated her talent as a performer in 2021 when she played the piano during a Christmas carol service, shocking the audience.
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