What was Princess Kate’s upbringing like? Inside her ‘happy’ childhood from growing up abroad to secret surgery
The Princess of Wales is always a picture of grace and elegance it’s hard to imagine her as anything other than the poised royal that she is today. However, the mother-of-three was once a young girl with a fairly conventional childhood.
“I had an amazing granny who devoted a lot of time to us, playing with us, doing arts and crafts and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us,” she said on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast. “And I try and incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now.”
Kate has tried to replicate her sheltered childhood with her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, although the young royals haven’t spent as much time abroad as their mother, who partially grew up in Jordan.
© WireImageHere’s all you need to know about Kate’s childhood from her time in the Brownies to her secret surgery…
Growing up in Jordan
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born to Carole and Michael Middleton at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on 9 January 1982. She is the eldest of three children; sister Pippa was born in September 1983, while her younger brother James arrived in April 1987.
When the future royal was just two, she moved with her family to Amman in Jordan, where her father worked for two and a half years, and from the age of three attended a nursery school there.
© Shutterstock / The Middleton FamilyKate was in a class of 12 with children aged three to five from countries such as Britain, Jordan, Japan, India and America. They learnt in both English and Arabic and would read a verse of the Quran following their morning singing session. Both Christmas and Ramadan were celebrated.
The children’s breakfast would be foods such as hummus, cheese and labneh (strained yoghurt), revealed the article, while activities included playing in the sandpit, putting on plays and twice-monthly outings to nearby cultural places of interest.
© Royal Hashemite CourtRecounting some of her childhood memories, Kate explained: “I had a very happy childhood. It was great fun and I’m very lucky I come from a very strong family. My parents were hugely dedicated. I really appreciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us. They came to every sports match, they’d be the ones on the sideline shouting, and we’d always have our family holidays together.”
Junior school in West Berkshire
In September 1986, the Middletons returned to their home in West Berkshire, and Kate started at St. Andrew’s School in Pangbourne, where she remained until July 1995.
In 2020, Kate reunited with two of her teachers from St Andrew’s; Denise Evans-Allford was her PE teacher, while Kevin Allford taught her French and German. Mr Allford told the Press Association that Kate was a “hard worker and very conscientious.” He added: “Obviously she was the same in sport. She was a tremendous athlete and swimmer. I used to be in charge of swimming and she was very, very good, as her sister was.”
Brownies club with sister Pippa Middleton
In 1990, Kate and Pippa both joined the local Brownies club, where they went on field trips, played sports, did needlework, and earned badges. “She was quite easygoing,” Brownie pack leader June Scutter told People. “They were just ordinary children, nothing different from any others.”
© Getty ImagesDuring her time at St. Andrew’s prep school, Kate also started to show an interest in the theatre, taking on the role of Eliza Doolittle when she was 11 in the school’s production of My Fair Lady, and later, aged 13, starring in the Victorian melodrama, Murder in the Red Barn.
Boarding school
After a brief stint at Down House all-girls boarding school, when she has revealed she was picked on by other girls, Kate enrolled at the co-ed boarding school, Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where she studied Chemistry, Biology and Art at A-level. Kate also took part in sport on behalf of the school, playing tennis, hockey and netball and participating in athletics, particularly high jump.
© GettyReflecting further on her youth, the royal added: “What resonates the most is the simple things. I see that now with my own children. Life now is so busy and distracting and sometimes simple things like watching a fire on a really rainy day provides such enjoyment. I remember that from my childhood, the simple things, like going for a walk together, I try to do this with my children. It totally strips away complications and pressures. I think those experiences mean so much to children and the world they’re in which is a real adventure at that age.”
She continued: “As children, we spent a lot of time outside and it’s something I’m really passionate about. I think it’s so great for physical and mental wellbeing and laying those foundations. It’s such a great environment to actually spend time in, building those quality relationships without the distractions of ‘I’ve got to cook’ and ‘I’ve got to do this’. And actually, it’s so simple.”
Secret operation
© Getty ImagesAt one point in her childhood, the royal underwent surgery and a three-inch scar can still be seen on her temple. The royal has never spoken about why the operation was needed and it was only confirmed in 2011 when a royal spokesperson told E! News: “The scar is related to a childhood operation.”
